Play Your Part, Seto
by DarthAnimus
Summary: AU - PYP3: Seto and Katsuya are finally together but Seto is convinced that he is not being the best boyfriend for Katsuya. At the same time both Yami’s and Katsuya’s pasts come knocking, along with trouble. KJ YYY
1. I Wish I Didn't Know You

**Play Your Part, Seto**

**Chapter 1**

**I Wish I Didn't Know You**

The month after the class 12-A play was much more uneventful than the one that had preceded it. The only event of note had been the transfer of Sakubara Misa. There had been some rumours that the girl had actually been expelled, which had spread like wildfire once the school noticed that Misa's classmates did not seem to miss the girl at all. Other than that there had not been much of anything interesting; even the excitement the girls had gotten out of the two new homosexual couples had faded away within two weeks.

That last notion was something Katsuya was grateful for. He was not very fond of having people gossiping about his private life, especially now that his private life included a boyfriend with a tendency to cuddle while in public. Well, not as much in public as during lunch hour in the school cafeteria. Outside of school Seto kept his hands to himself, which gave Katsuya a chance to catch an occasional breather.

Since it was common knowledge that Katsuya was in a relationship with Kaiba Seto, the blond had been very surprised the day he found an envelope in his locker on top of his sneakers. It had been a plain white envelope without any sender but the bright red heart sticker on the front had told the teen what he had been holding exactly: a love letter.

The letter had held the usual message: I've watched you for a long time and have a huge crush on you, blah blah blah. Meet me after school behind the sports supply storage, signed by a 'secret admirer'. There had not been anything out of place about the note and, not wanting to leave the girl waiting there for the whole afternoon, Katsuya had decided to go to the meeting even if it was only to tell the girl he was not interested and quite happy in his current relationship.

Even though Katsuya and Seto had been planning on going to the movies immediately after school, Katsuya had told his boyfriend to go wait for him by the car that would drive them downtown. Seto had not been too happy about being ordered around but had let it slide, telling Katsuya to just reject the girl and get it over with. When Katsuya arrived at the scene of the meeting, he immediately saw the girl's back and noted that she was surprisingly tall, almost his size, and had very wide shoulders for a girl. Katsuya really hoped that she would not be too upset with him because he was certain that a hit from the girl would _hurt_.

"Um…hello?" Katsuya started a bit uncertainly. "I got your note." He lifted the letter in question.

"I was worried you wouldn't come", the raven-haired girl spoke and Katsuya noticed that the voice was familiar. He simply could not place it on a face. It was surprising, since Katsuya normally had a perfect memory when it came to people. The only explanation would have been that the girl was not in his class, even though Katsuya rarely dealt with girls from other classes. He just wished that the girl would turn around.

"But then again, you've never been able to just leave a lady to her own devices", the girl said and Katsuya immediately noticed the degrading tone of voice. "This time, however, it would have been wiser to stay away." Then the girl turned and Katsuya's brown eyes met vaguely familiar ice blue ones. Then the blond gasped when he remembered just where he had seen those eyes before.

"Akemi!" Katsuya exclaimed, his tone surprised. It quickly turned into one of hostility, however, as the blond growled out: "What are you doing here, wearing the Domino High uniform no less." The girl was not a student in the school, of that Katsuya was certain. Kurowa Akemi did not have the grades to get into Domino High School. Last time Katsuya had heard from the girl she had entered Rintama High School together with the rest of her 'kind'. And Rintama High was positioned on the other side of Domino City.

"Why, I came here to give you my love letter of course", the girl cooed with pretended gentleness in her tone. "You've always been able to make me blush."

With anger, yes. Akemi felt noting for Katsuya, other than intense hatred. Of that Katsuya was certain. The blond actually had a long-standing suspicion that the girl preferred other girls, truth be told. She certainly had not been interested in guys during the many years Katsuya had known her.

"Don't give me that crap, Akemi", Katsuya snarled at the female. "I thought I made it clear that I was done with you guys when I left. You have no business here."

"You're the one talking crap here, Katsuya", Akemi sneered at the blond. "You of all people should know that no one leaves Hirutani and is done with us with that."

Now the blond was starting to understand. So, they had decided to finally come after him after three years. Sure took them long enough…

"Why didn't Hirutani come here himself?" Katsuya asked and allowed a smirk to come across his face. "Is he still too much of a coward to fight his own battles?" The blond scoffed at the girl. "The least he could have done is to send me a better opponent than you."

For some reason Akemi did not lose her temper at the words like Katsuya had expected her to. Instead, she smiled that wicked crooked smirk that was typical of her and spoke: "But, Katsuya, I'm merely a decoy."

The next thing Katsuya knew he had been smacked against the storehouse wall with a hulking body pressing him into the stone surface. His eyes met with a familiar hazel pair and the blond felt his blood boil with equally familiar rage. This person had always had that effect on the blond.

"Hirutani", Katsuya snarled and the bigger male. It was all the identification the other needed. Katsuya had always despised Hirutani, who had been the leader of the gang in which the blond had spent his early teen years. The hulking wannabe gangster bleached his hair constantly in order to look intimidating and foreign. To Katsuya, the effect had only made the other seem like an idiot. That notion was further brought on by the fact that Hirutani was actually older than Katsuya despite getting out of middle school together with the blond. The fact was that Hirutani had been held back a year at least once. But that did not really make Hirutani a harmless person. On the contrary, Hirutani was a twisted person with narcistic tendencies along with a sadistic streak. Not to mention the male had the physical strength and influence towards others to cause serious damage.

"So, Katsuya", Hirutani drawled in a falsely sweet tone of voice. "How has life been treating you since you left without as much as a word?" When Katsuya gave no indication to answer, the other's face twisted into a sneer and Hirutani yanked Katsuya away from the wall once before slamming him back against it, all the while bellowing: "Don't you dare ignore me!" The thug's expression smoothened then. "Then again, you don't really need to answer. I already know all about it." Once again Katsuya was slammed against the wall, this time more brutally than the two previous times combined. The blond actually released a pained groan, which Hirutani did not notice as he raved: "They say you're that Kaiba's bitch now! I did not shape you up to bend over to some rich bastard!"

"You don't control me, Hirutani!" Katsuya yelled back, knowing exactly how much his words would enrage the other. "When it comes to me, you've never been in control!" Katsuya knew that Hirutani had a need for control, that had always been the male's weakness. He thought he was so much better and more powerful than anyone else when in reality he was nothing but a loser. A violent and bloodthirsty loser, but a loser nonetheless.

The next impact against the stonewall had Katsuya seeing stars and by the time the blond recovered, Hirutani's voice was in his ear, speaking: "You know, I was just going to beat you into a bloody pulp and then stab you a couple of times and be satisfied with that. But now you have me curious…" The taller male pulled back and looked down at Katsuya with glee that promised agony. "You've always been awfully pretty, Katsuya, exotic. I wonder…"

There were not many things those words could mean, and Katsuya's fears were confirmed when a large hand was pushed beneath the his shirt, the rough hand feeling very similar to another memory, one that was now rising into Katsuya's mind as a sudden cold feeling caused the blond to shiver.

"Katsuya…" Hirutani mumbled, his voice softer than Katsuya had ever heard it before. "I don't usually go for used stuff but you are worth an exception." Katsuya's horrified eyes stared as the brunet licked his lips. "Especially if you're good enough for a someone like Kaiba."

'No…' Katsuya thought desperately as he felt his insides get squeezed by the sudden coldness that was taking over his body. 'Don't touch me. Don't touch me…'

"Don't worry", Hirutani uttered when he noticed Katsuya's clear reluctance. "I'll return you to your boyfriend in the end." The bleached male snickered as he leaned down to lick Katsuya's neck. At the same time his hand rose higher up the blond's chest and rubbed at one of his nipples. "He doesn't mind sharing, does he?" Hirutani then pinched the nipple he had been caressing, forcing Katsuya to release a whimper that sounded suspiciously like a sob. "Well, if he does, then we will just have to keep this between us, hmm?"

Lifting his hands to Hirutani's chest to attempt to push the larger body off of him, Katsuya started to wiggle his body as he tried to get away from the larger body looming over him. His hands were grabbed by Hirutani's free hand one by one as the large teen removed his other hand from Katsuya's chest and pulled it back from underneath the blond's shirt. Katsuya had enough time to close his eyes in preparation before the slap came, smacking his head to the side.

"Don't even try to resist me, Katsuya", Hirutani growled in a dangerous tone of voice. "You will only end up hurt if you do." That said Hirutani grabbed Katsuya's crotch through his school pants and that time Katsuya was sure he released a sob. Hirutani's hot breath came across the blond's cheeks and Katsuya shuddered as a wave of nausea washed over him. The blond thought that he was going to puke and when black spots started to invade his vision, he was certain that he was going to faint.

As Hirutani's hand wandered in places Katsuya definitely did not want it to, Katsuya wished more than anything to simply be able to feel nothing instead of the growing disgust that clenched at his stomach. Katsuya thought desperately that Seto had not rushed to his rescue yet, like he had done before. Certainly the brunet should have gotten tired of waiting by then…

That was when Katsuya froze in his thoughts. What the hell was he doing waiting for Seto to come and rescue him? He could take Hirutani on, he always had been. Now if only his mind could stay clear for him to do so.

"Yo, bastard! Let the kid go!" a voice called suddenly and Hirutani's hand retreated from Katsuya's body. In the next instant the blond was able to slam his forehead against his captor's nose. Warm blood smeared across his face when Hirutani retreated with a pained howl, giving Katsuya enough room to kneel him in the stomach and as the thug doubled over Katsuya brought his leg up and then brought it down on the other's back, sending him falling on his face onto the grassy ground.

There was the sound of fleeing footsteps, which Katsuya knew to be caused by Akemi, and the blond turned his gaze to the other side, where the person that had called was standing. And he froze.

The new arrival was a young man with navy blue eyes and incredibly tan skin and he was a good five inches taller than Katsuya, though not nearly as tall as the probably unconscious Hirutani. The male looked to be around Katsuya's age and was dressed in a pale violet muscle shirt and light brown cargo pants. His hair was a platinum blond, one Katsuya guessed to be natural, and it stuck in every direction much like Yugi's and Otomya's did.

Katsuya had never seen the person before, but he had heard the talk and was almost certain of his suspicion. Then the male started to speak with a slight Kansai area dialect: "Ya alright there, kiddo?"

"I'm fine. Thanks", Katsuya answered, feeling a bit distrusting towards the other. "I haven't seen you around here before. Who are you exactly?"

"The name's Takuya", the new arrival spoke with an air of confidence. "Takuya Marik."

Yup, that was exactly the name Katsuya had been expecting to hear. Now he needed to find out what the other was doing in Domino. According to Katsuya's knowledge, Takuya went to school in Osaka. It was a long way from Domino and it was the middle of a school week.

"I take it you're a student in this school?" Takuya questioned and Katsuya nodded his head mutely. Takuya glanced down at Hirutani's definitely out cold form and then asked: "What ever are ya doin' gettin' involved with blokes like Hirutani?"

"I don't even know him really", Katsuya replied with a shrug. It appeared that his display was convincing, since the other let it slide in favour of saying: "I'm actually lookin' for someone. He's a student here too. Ever heard of a Otomya Yami?"

"No", Katsuya replied blankly, hoping that he sounded genuine. "I can't say I've heard of him."

"Oh, too bad", Takuya said in a lazy tone. "Take care then." He turned to leave and Katsuya called after him: "Bye."

"Good bye, Jounouchi Katsuya", Takuya replied without looking back. The other disappeared around a corner and Katsuya felt a shiver run down his spine. Just _how_ had the other known his name? Had he known he had been bluffing too?

Katsuya's thoughts were broken off by a groan from Hirutani's crumbled form and the blond served a satisfying kick to the other's head, sending the jerk back to unconsciousness. He considered calling the police on the other male and wondered if they could get there in time. In the end he decided to make his way back to Seto, to either borrow the brunet's cell phone (his own currently lied forgotten underneath his bed) or, if Seto's driver was still also a bodyguard, to have the brunet sick his employee on Hirutani.

&

It was with reluctance that Katsuya replayed the entire event to Seto once Hirutani had been restrained. The blond would have preferred to just brush the whole thing aside and forget it, but he knew that his boyfriend would not settle for that. So, in the end Katsuya ended up telling Seto everything and got a tight, protective embrace out of it.

"We need to call Otomya", Katsuya spoke out when the two were snuggled together in the backseat of the car. There was a shift from Seto, followed by the brunet questioning: "Just because some random guy was asking for him? It was probably a relative of sorts. Yami is originally from Osaka after all."

"I know who that guy was, and he's not related to Otomya", Katsuya insisted sternly. "Call him."

"Not until you explain this all to me", Seto insisted in an annoyed tone. "I won't let you just brush me off like this. Just who is this Takuya Marik?"

"A nutcase", Katsuya answered and thought back to when he had encountered the name. "I don't usually believe the rumours that go around, since they tend to grow over their original boundaries, but this one I know to be true. It was on the news and everything." The blond started fiddling the bottom of Seto's jacket. "Takuya killed his father when he was eleven. It was in self-defence, the guy was an abusive bastard, but it messed Takuya up for life. He's a very known face in the right scene, that is, he's a celebrity in the gang circles."

"And you think he's after Yami?" came Seto's query, to which Katsuya nodded and the brunet spoke: "Why would he come after Yami?"

"The same reason Hirutani and Akemi came after me", Katsuya replied, his eyes focused on the car seat in front of him. "My guess is that Otomya dumped his gang before coming here to Domino. I bet his hiding out, trying to start over."

The body Katsuya was pressed up against moved and the blond knew Seto was shaking his head in denial even before the brunet started to speak: "But there's no proof that-"

"His name is proof enough", Katsuya interrupted the other. He finally removed himself from his beloved's arms to look Seto straight in the eye as he continued: "You know I know this stuff. There really was someone named Otomya Yami in one of the gangs in Osaka. It's called the 'Golden Eye' gang and it's the same one Takuya is in."

Seto was looking at Katsuya incredulously, and then said: "And you helped this guy get together with your friend?"

"I didn't make the connection then!" Katsuya exclaimed in his defence. "I mean, what are the odds of _the_ Otomya Yami coming to Domino? I only realized it when that Takuya asked about him."

"Figures…" Seto mumbled with a teasing smirk, ruffling Katsuya's hair. "Fine, I'll give him a call and warn him."

"You'd better", Katsuya muttered before glancing out of the window. He would hate to think of the things Takuya was capable of, and he did not want Otomya to go through any of it.

_**To be continued…**_


	2. Thoughtful

Author's Notes: This chapter is dedicated to mandapandabug, who wished for this chapter before her trip. I apologise again, but I'm not so good as to write a whole chapter within seven hours.

**Play Your Part, Seto**

**Chapter 2**

**Thoughtful**

Seto had thought that once Katsuya was his, then everything would be as perfect as real life could be, but then something like this had to happen and now the brunet did not know what to do. He did not know how badly Hirutani's attack had affected Katsuya or what he should do to help the blond. Because the shorter boy had already been traumatized before, Seto had already decided to do what he could to help the blond get passed that, but now Hirutani had come along to complicate things. Sure, the male had been restrained and Seto had made sure that Katsuya would not be running into him again anytime soon, but that did not help with the damage that had already been done.

The two lovers were currently sitting in a corner booth in a hamburger place. Seto had decided that the matter of Hirutani had still not been closed between him and Katsuya, so the brunet had told the other teen that they were not going to the movies after all. The blond had rolled his eyes in a manner that had immediately told Seto that the other knew what they were going to talk about.

And yet neither of them was talking. Seto was gazing across the table at Katsuya with his hands folded in front of him, while Katsuya was pretending to draw slurps from a plastic cup of chocolate milkshake that was surely empty by now. It was obvious that Katsuya was not in any mood to talk for a change and Seto was almost ready to shake his boyfriend a bit to get over the other's attitude. It was not like he was not aware of Katsuya's condition, situation, or whatever one wanted to call it.

Finally Seto released a heavy sigh as he leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair. Brown eyes that had been looking out the window absent-mindedly immediately turned to the brunet as the taller teen spoke out: "You're going to be difficult about this, aren't you?"

A frown settled onto Katsuya's face, followed by the blond grumbling: "What do you mean 'difficult'?"

"You obviously lack any desire to be cooperative with me on this matter", Seto commented and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, I suppose we could start with something simple. Are you certain that this Akemi won't come after you with her friends to take revenge?"

There was a nod from Katsuya, followed by the words: "I know Akemi's kind. They won't be any trouble."

Seto lifted a curious eyebrow at the blond's choice of words. Not feeling up to guessing what Katsuya was getting at, the brunet questioned: "What do you mean when you say 'her kind'?"

Katsuya pulled the straw out of his cup and waved it around as if for emphasis as he answered: "I'm talking about the lot that is left of Hirutani's former gang. Soon after Honda and I left the bunch, Hirutani got caught during an attempt to rob a convenience store. Let's just say his parents decided to do something about his behaviour. After Hirutani was sent to another city to a boarding school, the others stopped causing trouble. They're hopeless without Hirutani there to tell them what to do. Most of them go to Rintama High on the other side of town."

"And you don't think they'll just take the bus here?" Seto questioned incredulously. "I mean, that Takuya came here from another city just to get revenge on Yami."

"That was because Takuya has guts", Katsuya pointed out and the straw was waved at Seto's face. "Akemi and her pals, on the other hand, don't have guts." Seto snatched the straw away from the blond to prevent any unpleasant poking the blond might have attempted next. Katsuya merely glared at the action before finishing: "They know I'm stronger than any of them."

That was something Seto worried about. Was Katsuya really in a good enough shape to take on some thugs? Even if the blond's physical condition would have been the same as before, his mental state was everything but. Seto hated to think of how easily Katsuya could be reduced into a sobbing mess after only a few touches from one of those gangsters.

"I'm strong, Seto", Katsuya spoke sternly and Seto's worried blue eyes met with determined brown ones.

"Yes, Katsuya, I know", Seto mumbled. But was he strong enough?

&

Yami paced back and forth in his room, shooting paranoid glances outside through his bedroom window. He was looking for any sign of that tall-tale mess of platinum blond hair. Marik would be easy to spot; the teen would have never altered his haircut. He loved his hair at least as much as Yami did his, and that was saying a lot.

No, there was no sight of an almost white bush of hair from the slowly darkening street. The fall was nearing on winter and the evenings would soon be growing darker, which would make it harder to see any threat before it was too late. Yami considered this and wondered if it would be better if he simply sought Marik out now before the other had a chance to catch him off-guard.

Groaning in frustration, Yami yanked at his golden bangs of hair. Why was he so hesitant to go after Marik? Before, back in Osaka, he would not have hesitated one bit. Back then, only a few months ago, he had been known as the 'Game Master', the ultimate gambler. What he had gambled in his dangerous games was his life; there was no stunt that he had hesitated to pull.

Of course, Marik had often been on Yami's side during his escapades. Perhaps that was the reason Yami felt so uncertain about facing the other. He knew very well that Marik was just as dangerous as he was, as he had been. At present time Yami shuddered every single time he remembered his past in Osaka. The whole reason he had come to Domino was so that he could forget and now Marik had come after him, along with all of his unpleasant memories. Marik had, after all, been present for most of Yami's darkest moments.

A sigh came from the crimson-eyed youth, followed by a nervous laugh. What was wrong with him? Marik had been in town for a day and he was already climbing up walls in anxiousness. It would take time before Marik would be able to locate him in Domino; Yami had nothing to worry about just yet. He should just stay calm. He could not handle Marik if he was a nervous wreck. And knowing Marik's twisted mind, that probably was what the platinum-haired male had been aiming for when he had made contact with Jounouchi. Perhaps Marik had counted on Jounouchi knowing who Yami was and to get the star-haired teen all worked up over nothing.

A sigh came from the star-haired teen and he fell backwards onto his bed. It was no use worrying about it. His best chance would be to wait for Marik to come to him and just kick back and relax until then.

Too bad it was very difficult to relax when you knew that you had a maniac out to get you.

&

"Thanks for taking me home, Seto", Katsuya spoke as he smiled at the brunet in question, who gave a smaller smile back as he brought his arm around the blond's waist. Katsuya seemed to sink into the brunet's side and Seto pulled the shorter teen further against his side before murmuring: "You're welcome, Katsuya."

Katsuya truly seemed to be fine now. As far as Seto could tell, the blond had at least not gotten worse form the previous events of the day. There actually was something the brunet would have wanted to discuss with the blond that day, it being their one-month anniversary and all. Of course, the only one of them to really mention the matter was Katsuya and even that had been as a passing joke. It appeared that neither one of the teens cared much for such shallow celebrations.

Despite not being able to care less about some one-month mark, Seto did think that there was one thing the pair could do now that they had reached said mark. But, there was still the matter of bringing the topic up with Katsuya and, worse yet, getting the blond to agree with it.

The two came to a stop when they reached the apartment Katsuya lived in. The blond turned to Seto and spoke: "Thanks, Seto."

"You're welcome, Katsuya", Seto replied and Katsuya's smile turned even wider. The blond then laid a hand on Seto's shoulder to give himself support as he lifted himself up to make up for the short height difference and pecked the brunet on the lips.

"See you tomorrow", Katsuya said with a crooked smile. Seto smirked back at the blond and spoke: "You can bet on that."

A laugh came from the shorter teen after which the blond proceeded to open the door. Seto received one more smile from his boyfriend before Katsuya disappeared into the apartment with a short wave.

Seto really did prefer Katsuya when he was in a good mood. Perhaps his proposal could wait for a bit. After all, a month was not really that long of a time.

_**To be continued…**_


	3. Literal Meaning

**Play Your Part, Seto**

**Chapter 3**

**Literal Meaning**

"I'm home!" Katsuya called as the door slid shut behind him. The blond kicked off his sneakers, making sure they were reasonably close to each other, and strolled further into the apartment. He made it as far as into the living room before he realized that he was the only one in the apartment. A sigh escaped from the blond and he came to the conclusion that his father was most likely working overtime again.

A loud rumble from his stomach had Katsuya contemplating if he would dare to try and make himself something to eat or if he should just settle for instant noodles. A milkshake really was not the best possible option for a nutritious meal. Actually, it was not very nutritious at all.

Deciding that it would be better if he practised the cooking skills Anzu had tried to teach him, Katsuya made his way into the kitchen and started to search for anything to make. The blond came across a package of chicken wings and decided that they should be simple enough to prepare in a frying pan, and he could spice them up with a little bit of curry sauce. He could also boil some rice to go with them.

The blond was humming a happy tune while he placed half of the chicken wings onto his plate when he heard the front door open and close. Katsuya grinned widely as he placed his plate down and walked over into the hallway to see Osamu walking in with one hand holding a briefcase and another one loosening his tie.

"Welcome back, dad", Katsuya greeted happily and smiled proudly at the man. "I made us some dinner."

Osamu blinked in surprise, his hand falling from his neck, and then murmured in a slightly unbalanced manner: "Hello to you too, Katsuya." The man frowned in thought. "Umm, thanks?"

"No worries, dad", Katsuya spoke in an assuring tone. "It actually turned out pretty well, if I say so myself."

"Ah, alright then", Osamu replied and settled his briefcase against the wall to be picked up later. "I'll be there in a moment."

"Okay", Katsuya said with a nod and then scurried back into the kitchen while his father walked past the room to get to the bathroom. Soon enough both Jounouchis were sitting at the kitchen table and Katsuya was unable to keep himself from smiling over his successful attempt at making dinner. Even Osamu had commented that the chicken was delicious and the boy had been so happy over the praise that he had ignored the disbelieving tone of voice.

"You've been in an awfully good mood lately", Osamu commented after the two had eaten in silence for a while. Katsuya lifted his gaze from his plate to give his father a curious look, a raised eyebrow prompting the man to elaborate.

"For the last couple of weeks you've been a lot less broody", Osamu explained. "I'd like to know if there's a special reason for that?"

"Not really", Katsuya murmured, wondering if his mood really had changed so noticeably.

"I doubt that", Osamu insisted with a grin. "How about I'll guess and you'll tell me if I'm right?" The grin widened slightly. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Dad!" Katsuya growled heatedly. Honestly, the blond had to wonder what went through his father's head sometimes.

"Oh, right. I forgot that you would prefer a boyfriend", Osamu noted, his tone indicating that Katsuya's outburst had not disturbed him in the slightest. The man's grin turned teasing as he questioned: "Did you give that Kaiba a heart-filled envelope?"

"No!" Katsuya snarled and glared down at his food. "I've done nothing of the sort!" With that the blond dug into his food, shovelling the rice into his mouth with gusto. He was telling the truth. He had not told Seto about his exact feelings, he felt they were both still too immature for that, but he did constantly let the brunet know that he liked the other. As far as Katsuya was concerned, their relationship was not so significant that he should announce it to his father, especially without consulting Seto first.

Katsuya managed to avoid his father's questioning for the rest of the meal and retreat into the safety of his room without any further probing of his personal affairs. The blond listened carefully by the closed door until he heard the sounds from the television, signalling that his father would from that moment onward be focused on watching some program. That meant that the man would not overhear anything from the call he was about to make.

Katsuya scrolled through the memory of his cell phone, choosing one of the numbers that had been the first ones added in. The teen walked across the room as the phone rang and by the time there was an answering click, Katsuya was standing by the window.

"Honda", Katsuya spoke out immediately. "What shape is your bike in?" That information would be vital for what Katsuya had planned. Honda's parents had agreed to purchase him a motorcycle for his sixteenth birthday but it was never guaranteed to be operational, since Honda loved tuning the machine more than driving it.

"I'm guessing you want to know if it's driveable", Honda's voice came from the other end, the tone sounding slightly miffed at the lack of greeting. "It's driveable. Where do you need a lift to?"

"The other side of town", Katsuya replied easily as his eyes checked the door of his room in a sudden bout of paranoia. "I need a ride _and_ someone to watch my back."

"Watch your back?" Honda questioned, his worried tone indicating that he was already catching up to what Katsuya was getting at. Then the tone hardened with resolve. "Where are we going?"

"The other side of town", Katsuya answered. "There was a surprise visit from some old friends. I want to remind them why they've stayed away up until now."

"Gotcha", Honda said. "When will I pick you up?"

"At eleven", Katsuya replied. "My dad should be deep asleep by then." With that the two exchanged a quick goodbye and hung up. After the call Katsuya stood quietly for a while, simply staring off into the arriving October evening. He was in for a tiring night.

_Next morning…_

Seto really had to wonder how he had ended up spending his weekend morning like this. It was not like he minded small cafés. Actually, he found them cosy. And he was not against spending time with Katsuya; he always looked forward to it.

No, the problem was that Yami was along as well.

Katsuya had insisted on the meeting. The blond had wanted to make sure that Yami would be completely all right with Takuya lurking around, and offer him help if he needed it. Seto was not sure he agreed with the last part but he figured that he would have plenty of opportunities to object to any of Katsuya's too enthusiastic suggestions.

"You know you would have to just say the word and Honda and I will help you out", Katsuya spoke out and Seto's hand stilled while the brunet was about to lift his coffee cup to his lips. "There's no way Takuya can take on all three of us."

"No", Yami said from across the table before Seto had the chance to. "This is my problem. I wouldn't want to get you involved in this."

In situations like this it was something to be grateful for, that tendency Yami had to attempt to face all of his problems alone. Seto did not want to see Katsuya place himself in harm's way even though he also felt unvoiced concern for the crimson-eyed teen; Yami's broken leg was still a long way from being fully healed.

"You shouldn't get involved in fights not yours, Katsuya", Seto spoke to his boyfriend, making sure to keep his voice stern. "I don't want you to get hurt without being certain that you can tell me where to go take care of the matter."

"You do _not_ need to 'take care' of anything for me", Katsuya growled at the tall brunet. "And why are you getting involved in this? You don't know a thing about these things."

"I know enough to want to keep you away from it and safe", Seto insisted, disliking the blond's attitude more with each moment. Just because he had a different background from Katsuya's did not make him completely ignorant towards the other's past.

"Guys, guys", Yami called from his seat, gaining the two teen's attention. "There's not need for you two to start fighting because of this and me. I was going to decline anyway." The crimson eyes shot the pair a meaningful look. "Unless you completely missed that."

"Fine", Katsuya said and yawned widely. "If you insist. I get it." The blond rubbed at his eye and Seto noticed just how tired his boyfriend looked, feeling some slight suspicion. "It's your business alone and between only you and Takuya."

"Thanks for understanding", Yami said with a smile and then shot a glance at his wristwatch. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go see if Yugi is up yet."

"He'll be up the moment he knows you're coming over", Katsuya said with a chuckle and even Seto had to smirk in amusement when the star-haired teen blushed and stuttered in the middle of standing up. The teen almost fell over when he tripped on a table leg and then hurried to say: "I'll see you guys around. Bye!" And with that Yami was gone, fleeing as quickly as his one remaining crutch and uninjured leg allowed.

"Finally alone", Seto murmured and shifted closer to Katsuya on their seat. The blond's cheeks flushed but Seto's attention was drawn to the slight shadows under the shorter teen's eyes. He frowned in worry and asked: "Did you not sleep well last night? You look exhausted."

"I'm fine", Katsuya assured the brunet. "I just had a late night. I went on a little excursion with Honda."

"What kind of an excursion?" Seto questioned curiously. If it were not for the fact that Seto knew that the other brunet was straight and liked Katsuya's sister, the blue-eyed teen would have been a jealous mess by now. But, because he _did_ know all that, he could concentrate on what really mattered: the reason Katsuya had needed to take off to somewhere in the first place.

"Just a little get-together with old friends, nothing big", Katsuya said with a careless shrug and Seto immediately knew that something was up. The only time Katsuya refrained from giving Seto explicit details of his endeavours was when he was trying to hide something. And since when had Katsuya wanted to have anything to do with his 'old friends'? Seto had learned his lessons well; he knew that Katsuya's first actual friend had been Honda and that the people the two had hung out with were everything but friendly.

An embarrassed flush had spread on Katsuya's cheeks while Seto had been sorting through his thoughts. The brunet guessed that his suspicions must have been visible on his face for the blond to have such a reaction.

"How about you stop trying to fool me like this, Katsuya", Seto suggested with a lifted eyebrow to prompt the blond to speak. "You can't trick me that easily."

"You'd just be upset over nothing", Katsuya said with a scoff. "It would be better if we didn't talk about it."

"You went after that Akemi and probably a couple of others", Seto said, giving the blond no way to try to ignore the matter. "And you just told me that you had Honda come along for the ride. You might as well tell me the rest."

Katsuya bit his bottom lip and frowned in displeasure. Seto watched the blond abuse his lip in fascination and had to really concentrate in order to not forget what he was doing. And Katsuya was just oblivious enough to not know what an effect that expression had on Seto.

"It was nothing big, really", Katsuya said quietly. "It was too easy, actually. They still use that same old pool club as their hangout. We rushed in, beat the guys around a bit and then let them know that we would not appreciate any future visits. I think they got the message and understood that we were still in top form."

I don't like the sound of that", Seto spoke calmly, even though his insides were burning with anger. "What if Akemi had told them that you don't like to be touched? What if they had used that against you? What if you just had not been in as good of a shape as you had thought?" That last part was hissed out in a manner that more than hinted at Seto's feelings of worry and rage. The brunet could not bare the thought of Katsuya disappearing into the night on an 'excursion' such as this and never coming back. Seto was not naïve enough to think that such a thing was not a possibility.

"I'm fine, Seto", Katsuya snapped tersely, clearly not appreciating Seto's concern. "I smacked that witch as soon as I caught sight of her. I think she knows not to mess with me now either."

"That's not the point", Seto insisted. "I'm not stupid, Katsuya, you know that. I'm fully aware of just how dangerous people like that can be." The brunet reached out to grasp the blond's hand. "I'd like you to at least tell me about these things. I'm strong enough to handle it."

There was suddenly a strange expression on Katsuya's face. The blond's eyebrows had lifted as if he had realized something, but they immediately lowered in a manner that Seto could not place together with any emotion.

In the end it turned out that it did not matter what the blond was feeling exactly. All that mattered was that Seto had apparently said something right, since he suddenly received an enthusiastic hug from his boyfriend, who was speaking almost too quickly for Seto to understand what he was saying. But the brunet had had practise in listening to a blabbering Katsuya, so he simply listened quietly and carefully as the blond in his arms spoke: "I'm sorry, Seto. You're right, you're so right. We need to trust each other. I need to trust you. I promise I won't keep you guessing anymore."

A relieved sigh came from Seto. Finally Katsuya was going to let down his defences. There was still a long way to go from saying it to actually doing it, but Seto was certain that bit by bit he could strip away those problematic defences Katsuya insisted on having around him. Perhaps it would soon be a good time for Seto to bring up the matter he had been thinking about the previous day. But, not that day. Today there had been enough pressure placed on Katsuya and their relationship. The rest could wait a while longer.

&

"I'm home!" Yami called as the door closed behind him. Immediately his mother's form appeared from the kitchen, the dark-haired woman smiling gently before speaking: "Welcome home. A letter came for you." Just then Yami noticed that the woman was holding a white envelope in her hand. He walked over and took it from his mother's offered hand.

"Thank you", Yami said before looking the envelope over. It was a strange one. It only had his name on the cover without any address. Whoever it was from had to have brought it themselves. He looked up at his mother before questioning: "Did you see who brought this?"

"No", the woman answered, looking slightly curious about the matter herself. "I found it tucked in between the newspaper this morning."

Yami blinked in surprise at the response and looked down at the envelope again. What a strange thing… He should probably open it right away to solve this mystery, although he did already have a suspicion of the sender's identity.

With a rip the envelope was opened and Yami pulled out the letter. His eyes immediately fell to the bottom to see what had been signed there, but there was no signature. Yami's suspicion grew.

"So?" Yami's mother questioned, sounding slightly eager. "Who is it from?"

"A secret admirer", came the immediate answer and Yami shot his mother a strained smile that must have come off as embarrassed to the woman.

Indeed, Yami watched with satisfaction as his mother giggled and winked at him before disappearing back into the kitchen. Yami held in the urge to sigh and merely made his way up the stairs and into his own room, the suspicious letter crumpling within his hand as he squeezed it into a tight fist. Once the door to the room had been securely locked, the teen sunk down into a chair and while his crutch fell to the floor with a clatter, he started to read the letter.

It had been written in English, and there was only one single sentence that was strangely familiar to Yami as he spoke the content out loud in a whisper only he himself could hear: _"On the first day of Christmas my nemesis gave to me one piece of threat mail."_

It was a parody of an English Christmas song, Yami realised as he frowned at the letter. It was not even close to Christmas yet. He was wondering if Marik had lost what little remained of his sanity during the last few months. Unless, of course, Marik had _meant_ to imply that he was not coming soon.

The letter was placed on his desk and Yami glared at a wall. There were twelve days in that song. The twelfth of December. That was the day Marik would come.

A sigh came from Yami, not the withheld sigh of a person not knowing what to do with himself, but the relieved sigh of one with a purpose. It was not difficult for Yami to make up his mind about what he should do. He should be in top shape when Marik dropped by, and that unfortunately consisted of keeping all activities to a minimum so that his leg could properly heal.

_**To be continued…**_


	4. From the Heart

**Play Your Part, Seto**

**Chapter 4**

**From the Heart**

A month after he had received the letter from Marik, the cast from Yami's leg could finally be removed and the teen was given a clean bill of health. Yami had told his friends about the event in advance, and Yugi had insisted that they should do something special to celebrate the occasion. Yami did not know what it was that his friends had planned, and Yugi refused to tell. The petite boy insisted on it being a surprise and not even Seto had been willing to shed light on the matter. Yami suspected that the reason for the brunet's silence was more a matter of Seto wanting to see Yami squirm rather than any actual loyalty to their mismatched group of friends.

"Yami!" Yugi's voice called and a moment later Yami had a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and a warm body pressed against him back. "You're out of the cast!"

"Yes", Yami agreed as his boyfriend squeezed him a bit tighter. "Now you can jump on me for random hugs without me falling over in a painful and possibly fatal manner." The taller teen pried Yugi's arms from his frame and turned around to face the other. "Hello, Yugi." He bent down to plant a kiss on expectant lips. "And why are you getting so excited? I already told you about this three days ago."

"You never know when there's going to be a complication. You might have suddenly needed a week more or something", Yugi said and earned an amused chuckle from Yami, followed by the crimson-eyed youth saying: "That was highly unlikely, considering that most cases of broken bones heal within the two-month mark."

"I'm still glad that you're okay now", Yugi insisted and cuddled against Yami, which the taller teen did not really mind. Actually, he rather enjoyed it.

"Are you glad enough to tell me what you've planned for tonight?" Yami asked hopefully, to which Yugi answered: "I'll tell you that Anzu made the plans. Other than that you'll just have to wait."

"Mazaki?" Yami did not know whether he should be relieved or worried about that revelation. Anzu would not pick anything too lacking in taste, but she also would not allow Yami to back down from any activities. The girl could be very scary when she was upset, and Yami trying to chicken out would make her very upset indeed.

"Yeah, Anzu promised to arrange everything", Yugi affirmed and grabbed Yami's arm. "We should get to class now. It wouldn't do for us to get in trouble today of all days."

"Right, right", Yami agreed and allowed his hyped boyfriend to lead the way. Yami could very well guess what Yugi had eaten for breakfast; most likely it was something coated in either sugar or chocolate.

&

"Seto?" Katsuya spoke out and immediately his boyfriend's blue eyes turned their attention from his book to him. The two were sitting in the classroom and were the only ones present at the time. Since Seto had a habit of coming to school early to read in peace, Katsuya often came earlier as well if he wanted to discuss something with the brunet or otherwise wished to spend more time with the other.

"What is it?" Seto prompted and Katsuya fidgeted with his fingers nervously. The blond was wondering if this really was worth the embarrassment, but he reminded himself that this was Seto of all people. Seto was worth this and much more.

"Seto", Katsuya repeated and one brown eyebrow rose curiously. Finally the blond managed to utter out: "I'd like to apologise."

A confused expression came across Seto's face, looking more like a miffed frown than the wide-eyed expression that most people would wear. Katsuya had grown accustomed to identifying the slight differences in Seto's wide variety of frowns and scowls. Even the brunet's tone was close to annoyance as he questioned: "What are you sorry for?"

"For not appreciating the fact that you care about me", Katsuya mumbled and flushed in embarrassment, lowering his face. "I'm sorry."

"Forget it", Seto replied instantly. "Is this about the other day in the café?"

"No", Katsuya said and shook his head. "Not really." The shorter teen was encouraged enough to raise his head and meet Seto's gaze again. "But that _is_ when I realized I was doing things wrong."

"What did you realize exactly?" the brunet queried and Katsuya felt that Seto would have difficulties understanding the answer to that question. The blond would actually need to explain what he meant.

"Seto, you have to understand something about me", Katsuya started and forced to keep eye contact even as he felt another wave of embarrassment surge through his body. "I've always been considered the tough guy; I was always the strong one who never needed any help. But then that thing with Keith happened and I was so helpless until you came to save me." The blond knew that if he paused, he might be unable to pick up again. So he pressed on: "It was the first time I had relied on someone to be stronger than me, and it actually felt nice. I like the thought of having someone to support me and then support them in return." At this point Katsuya's eyes lowered to Seto's chest and his face burned all the way to his ears. "But you're so strong, Seto. I thought you wouldn't see me as an equal. And then you said that thing…"

"Katsuya…" Seto's voice spoke and the blond dared to glance up. "Sometimes, the things you come up with in your head…they're absolutely ridiculous."

An indignant spluttering followed from Katsuya and the blond shot a heated glare at the brunet as he opened his mouth to retort, only to be interrupted by a finger pressed to his lips. He looked at Seto in curiosity to see the other teen look at him tenderly before he continued: "But, at the same time, they make _me_ feel so stupid and inadequate."

A surprised blink was the only response Katsuya had to that, followed by a shyly uttered: "Seto?"

Seto glanced to the side with the palest of blushes on his cheeks. That tint of red was the only indicator of the fact that the brunet was more embarrassed than annoyed as he spoke: "I can't put my emotions into words like you. Half of the time I don't even know what I'm feeling." The brunet then reached out to grasp Katsuya's hand with his own. The blond smiled at the gesture and interlaced their fingers before questioning: "We complete each other?"

A nod came from Seto before the brunet affirmed: "That's what I believe, yes." He brought their interlocked hands up and both teens watched the contrast of their different skin shades. While Seto's skin was an almost ghastly pale shade, Katsuya's own had gained more than enough of a tan from the summer and early autumn.

It truly was the perfect moment. The atmosphere would have been just right for Katsuya to utter out his deepest feelings to Seto and finally bear his heart to the one person he cared about the most.

_I love you Seto._

But, for once in his life, Katsuya could not speak his feelings.

&

The group was gathered in the school cafeteria for lunch, but Jou and Kaiba had been delayed so they were two people short, which suited Yugi just fine, since he had something he wished to bring to the attention of his other friends. The boy was rolling his juice pack in his hands when he spoke up: "Something's up with Jou and Kaiba-kun."

The frank statement caught everyone's attention easily and the members of the group looked at Yugi curiously. The one to speak up first was Honda, who released a curious hum: "Oh?" and then shot a glance at the cafeteria doors to make sure that the pair in question was not coming in just yet. Apparently the coast was still clear, since the brunet continued: "To me they seem as lovey-dovey as ever."

"No, no, you misunderstood", Yugi hurried to say, releasing his juice to wave his hands. "I didn't mean that there's something_ wrong_ with them. Actually, something seems to be right." The boy smiled happily at the thought. "They've been in a really good mood ever since this morning."

Anzu lifted a finger and grinned widely as she cheered. "That's true!" The brunette released a giggle. "I thought I was the only one who noticed."

A scoff came from the girl's left side, where Bakura was sitting with his trademark broody expression. The albino's tone sounded more than just a tad bit jealous as he grumbled: "Who _wouldn't_ notice that those two are acting like newlyweds?"

There was a shift from Yugi's right and the boy looked up at Yami to see his boyfriend smile slightly in amusement before the crimson-eyed teen spoke: "Now that you mention it, Seto has seemed a bit thoughtful lately." A grin came to Yami's face then. "Maybe he proposed?"

"I say they slept together", Bakura said without any of the jealously gone from his tone.

Before anyone could comment on either of the two suggestions, Yugi spotted the topics of their conversation entering the cafeteria. A smile came on Yugi's lips and the boy exclaimed: "There they are!" He started waving his arms. "Jou! Kaiba-kun! Over here!"

There was a snort from across the table, which was revealed to have come from Bakura when the white-haired teen spoke insistently: "I still say they slept together."

There was a laugh from Yami at that, followed by the tan teen saying: "As far as I know, and I know _far_, Jounouchi hasn't let Seto do much along those lines." The boy smirked. "Seto says Jounouchi beats him up if he tries to go too far and that a couple of handfuls isn't really worth the bruises."

Yugi had to wonder about that. Jou was crazy about Kaiba, so it was surprising that the blond would resist his boyfriend so much. A thoughtful frown came across his face as he muttered: "Hard to believe…"

A couple of moments later Kaiba and Jou were seated at the table, the latter one choosing to take a bite off of the apple sitting on the corner of his tray, instead of the sandwich that should have been his real lunch. Still, Yugi ignored this oddity as simply something Jou did and piped up: "Jou!"

The blond glanced up with a curious hum, unable to speak any words with his mouth full of fruit. Yugi smiled at his friend before questioning: "What would you do if Kaiba-kun molested you?"

There was a moment's delay in Jou's answer, since the blond needed to swallow the apple before speaking up: "Right now? I'd punch him." The teen then turned to his boyfriend, who had wrapped his arms around his waist at some point. "You heard that, lover boy. Keep your hands in appropriate places."

Kaiba only rolled his eyes before murmuring: "Fine." The brunet then leaned in to lick the side of Jou's mouth where some apple juice had dribbled in the blond's earlier hurry to finish the piece. "Whatever you say."

A blush came to Jou cheeks and the blond asked in a tone that was a lot more lenient than his words: "What the heck?"

First Kaiba only licked his lips, but then answered simply: "You taste like apple." The brunet smirked before murmuring against the blond's lips: "Tasty." Then the tall teen clamped his lips soundly over Jou's in a deep kiss.

It was obvious that the kiss involved a lot of tongue, and by the time Kaiba pulled back, Jou was blushing a pretty scarlet. The blond started to nibble at his sandwich in a distracted manner, seeming to finally decide to eat in the order normal people would have chosen. Meanwhile Kaiba licked his lips once more, looking very pleased with himself.

_That evening…_

Seto really had to wonder how he had ended up spending his Friday evening like this. But every time the brunet got into the process of wondering about it, the blond sitting next to him would give him a dazzling smile and Seto would remember again.

Karaoke was not Seto's thing. Truth be told, the brunet had never tried it before. But, still, the cold and crisp November evening found the brunet sitting in a private box in one of Domino's karaoke clubs with his boyfriend's friends. Well, Yami was there as well. That was one of the good things about the evening, actually. And why it was so? For one simple reason…

Silence had filled the box for a few moments after Yami had finished signing. Then, finally, the silence was broken by Honda's flabbergasted voice.

"Wow", the brown-eyed teen uttered slowly. "I mean, _wow_." He turned to Yami before finishing: "Man, _you suck_."

An indignant look came over Yami's face, followed by the star-haired teen snapping: "Who cares?" He sniffed. "Karaoke is for wimps, anyway."

"You're just mad because you're so bad at it", came Anzu's cold verdict, which had Seto smirking in amusement while Katsuya actually laughed outright. It was a good thing Bakura had managed to dodge the group's karaoke plans, for Yami's sake at least; the white-haired teen would have never let the crimson-eyed one live this down.

"If we were playing 'Master Guitarist', I'd beat you all", Yami swore at them and Yugi spoke out in retaliation: "That's only because you've spent every moment of your spare time playing it for the last month." The short teen pouted at this point. "Sometimes I feel like you love that game more than you love me."

"Never!" Yami exclaimed and leaped over to the couch Yugi was sitting on to grasp his boyfriend's hands. "Yugi, the precious light of my life, I could never love anything more than you."

A brilliant smile lit Yugi's face and the boy swooned: "Oh, Yamikins. You mean that?"

"Of course, my little angel cake", the taller of the two crooned back in a completely love struck manner that had Seto grimacing and snarling: "Ugh, you two are so disgustingly cheesy."

That was when Seto felt Katsuya lay a hand on his arm and heard the other's soft voice question sweetly: "Honey?"

Seto immediately turned to the blond next to him and prompted gently: "Yes dear?"

The next thing Seto knew he had a palm pressed against his face as Katsuya's voice scolded in a fond manner: "Hypocrite." The blond then removed his hand and stood up. "Come on then, honey. Sing a duet with me."

"I'm not really familiar with the new songs", Seto confessed in slight embarrassment. He comforted himself by thinking that not knowing songs was a lot better than signing as badly as Yami did. And it seemed that the teen in question realized this too, since he stayed silent.

"Don't worry, Seto", Katsuya said as he grabbed a mike. "I'll pick us something older then."

With a put-on sigh, Seto stood up and walked next to Katsuya and glanced at the screen to see the name of the song the blond had chosen. The brunet made a face at the title and growled at the gleefully smiling teen: "I'm not _that_ out of date." He received only a shrug in response before a western song from the mid-80's started playing.

"If you laugh", Seto warned and shot a warning glare at Yami, "I'll hurt you."

"Oh, no one would laugh at my honey", Katsuya crooned but then grinned maliciously. "Not unless they like pain."

A sound of scuffling followed Katsuya's words, caused by Honda scampering out of the room, murmuring something about having to go to the bathroom. It was probably a smart move from the teen who knew Katsuya so well and could not hold his laughter in very well. Those thoughts were cut off when Seto's sleeve was yanked by the blond standing next to him, signalling that their cue had just passed, and the brunet's attention shifted to the task of singing the song together with Katsuya.

He ended up doing a lot better than Yami.

&

Katsuya felt truly elevated while walking home with Seto later on that evening. He had been worried that Seto would sulk the whole evening but the brunet had seemed to actually enjoy himself. During the walk the blond had his arm wrapped around his boyfriend's own, since most of the people travelling the busy streets were in too great of a hurry to pay any attention to the two teens.

"Thanks for coming along today, Seto", Katsuya spoke up when he saw a familiar building nearing. "It really meant a lot to me."

"Well, you know how I love to spoil you", Seto replied with an amused quirk on his lips. "Not to mention there would have been endless whining from Yami if he had ended up the only one of us to get dragged there by his boyfriend."

"Oh, you had fun, admit it", Katsuya insisted with a grin up at Seto. "Especially since it turned out that you sing better than Yami." That did not mean that Seto's singing was really above average, but it did sound a lot better than Yami's terrible crooning.

"Well, I must confess that it wasn't an unpleasant experience", Seto conceded. Then the joking expression disappeared from the brunet's face and Katsuya felt slight worry as the two of them stopped in front of the apartment complex the blond lived in.

"Is something on your mind, Seto?" Katsuya questioned as he released Seto's arm to move to stand in front of the brunet. "You went really quiet."

Seto looked hesitant for the briefest of moments before he apparently steeled himself and started to speak very quickly: "Katsuya, I know we have only been together for a bit over two months, but we have known each other for far longer than that and we have been through a great deal of things in a short amount of time." The brunet took a deep breath and continued: "I think it's time we brought our relationship to the next level."

It was obvious that Seto had spent a lot of time coming up with this speech, Katsuya noted and thought about the words. The next level… Only one thing came to the blond's mind at Seto's words and the very thought made his heartbeat pick up. This was it, the thing Katsuya had been waiting for. The blond felt his cheeks heat up as a goofy grin came to his face. He was going to get laid! Katsuya looked up at Seto expectantly.

He was just on time, too. Seto was now ready to finish and the brunet spoke out: "I think it's about time we told our parents about us dating."

In mere seconds Katsuya's world hit rock bottom. The universe must have hated him.

_**To be continued…**_

Author's Notes: Dun dun dunn! Sorry guys, but our heroes are neither going to get married nor going to sleep together. I hope you aren't too disappointed, like poor Katsuya is.

And on the topic of Bakura's jealousy in this chapter: he is convinced that Seto and Katsuya are sleeping together, so he is jealous because he isn't getting any.

ALSO: I have put up a poll into my profile. I need a bit of help with deciding my next YGO fanfic project and I have put up some options for you to choose from. My profile will have further information on the options so that you won't have to choose a story with nothing but the name. This story won't be coming out soon, but will be the story I'll start when "Dream Prince" finishes. This will be sometime this spring or summer. Thank you.


	5. Of Uselessness

**Play Your Part, Seto**

**Chapter 5**

**Of Useless Boyfriends and Even More Useless Friends**

_This was it, the thing Katsuya had been waiting for. The blond felt his cheeks heat up as a goofy grin came to his face. He was going to get laid! Katsuya looked up at Seto expectantly._

_He was just in time, too. Seto was now ready to finish and the brunet spoke out: "I think it's about time we told our parents about us dating."_

_In mere seconds Katsuya's world hit rock bottom. The universe must have hated him._

An outraged yell erupted from Katsuya's lips instantly: "What?"

Seto suddenly felt terribly embarrassed and started to try to explain himself: "I know this must come as a surprise and I understand why you might be upset-"

"Upset?" Katsuya questioned, his brow twitching at the choice of words. "Of course I'm upset! You're completely ignoring my needs!"

Now it was Seto's turn to be pissed. The brunet's brows lowered into a frightening glower as he snapped: "That's why I'm suggesting this! A relationship needs to be nurtured with trust and-"

"You can nurture our relationship by showing me some affection", Katsuya interrupted for the second time already, and Seto raised his fists in a desperate gesture as he defended: "But I _do_ show you affection."

"I'm not talking about holding hands", Katsuya said with a huff. "I know you're a selfish lover so what gives?"

"Selfish?" Seto questioned, feeling a burn of outrage in his stomach. "I am _not_ a selfish boyfriend."

"Of course you're not", Katsuya said, his tone softening by the slightest hint. "I'm saying you're a selfish lover."

A groan escaped from Seto then. There was some distinction between those two words that only Katsuya understood. Hopefully the blond would feel like sharing his philosophy.

"You're a great boyfriend. Perfect, actually. You're caring and supportive and all that other stuff", Katsuya explained before lifting a finger to emphasise his next words. "But, as a lover you tend to think of yourself first. You could barely keep your hands off me while we were starting to date. I'm wondering where all the groping went."

That statement sent Seto into a series of splutters. He managed to gain control of himself again before exclaiming: "You were almost raped last month! I couldn't possibly be as cruel as to make you relive that experience."

Katsuya then stepped closer to him, placing a gentle hand on the brunet's chest before speaking without any hint of anger in his voice: "I'm comfortable with you, Seto. You don't have to worry about that." The blond leaned even closer. "I think it might actually do me some good to receive some _wanted_ contact."

"But you always freak out when I touch you at school", Seto insisted, the anger draining out of his voice as well. Now he only felt tired and confused.

"Seto", Katsuya spoke sternly and Seto was startled by the serious look on the blond's face. "_At school_. I do not appreciate being felt up at school where everyone can see and it won't lead into anything more." The blond smiled widely then. "In private, though, I'm completely fine with it."

"Oh…" Seto murmured in a slightly put out manner. If he only had known that earlier…

"But, about this telling our families thing…?" Seto prompted and Katsuya smiled before answering: "That's fine with me. My dad already knows I like you."

"He _knows_?" Seto questioned incredulously. How was it that Katsuya always managed to catch him off-guard by saying the most unexpected of things?

"Yeah", Katsuya said with a nod of his head. "I think he'll be relieved that I've stopped pining after you, though I'm not sure about how he's going to react to us actually dating."

That was exactly what Seto would have wanted to know. If he knew in advance that the senior Jounouchi was going to gut him, then he could at least change the plans in advance to guarantee his safety. The brunet was thinking along the lines of telling the man from the other side of a bullet-proof glass while having the other party locked into a titanium cell.

Kaiba Seto was not afraid of anything. He just had a sense of self-preservation. There was an obvious difference between the two.

&

Katsuya knew that Honda loved to sleep in on Saturday mornings. But, the blond had not been feeling too charitable and had called the brunet before midday anyway. He needed someone to rant to and Honda was the least likely person to have anything planned, considering the aforementioned habit of sleeping in on weekends. Yugi was also going to stop by after helping his grandfather put everything together in the shop so that it could be opened for the midday rush of school kids on a day off.

But how to approach the subject of no good boyfriends, ones that lost their sex drive even before the first time together? That was a tough one. Katsuya solved the problem by starting to groan in a suffering manner until Honda would get so tired of the sound that he asked Katsuya what was up even when he knew the blond well enough to know that he was better off not knowing.

Katsuya groaned loudly and pitifully and Honda slammed his fists on the table in annoyance as he snarled: "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm horny as hell but my useless boyfriend refuses to deliver", Katsuya stated bluntly. It was a bit of an exaggeration. Okay, it was nothing but an exaggeration. Truth be told, Katsuya _did _want to sleep with Seto, however, he did not want it for the sake of sex alone, but because he wanted their relationship to progress.

Honda looked very uncomfortable and shifted in his seat before murmuring hesitantly: "Um…Jou?"

"Hm?" Katsuya hummed and leaned his chin onto his palm.

Another nervous shift and then Honda queried: "Aren't you supposed to be, you know, traumatised?"

Not really seeing this as a problem Katsuya shrugged his shoulders before answering: "Yeah, your point?"

"How can you be sure that trying to...be intimate with Kaiba won't make things worse?" Honda asked, everything from his body language to the tone of his voice indicating that he was ready to bolt out the door at any opportunity. Katsuya was not feeling very merciful, however, and spoke: "Easy." He grinned widely. "I'm in love and having Seto make love to me will heal me."

A silence followed, during which Honda stared at him incredulously. Finally the brunet questioned: "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

Katsuya only nodded his head in response and Honda buried his face in his palms while groaning in a mix of exasperation and embarrassment: "Egh gah."

Ignoring his friend's obvious discomfort, Katsuya said: "I really thought that he was going to suggest we…you know." The blond waved his hands for emphasis and Honda groaned again. "But instead he suggested we come clean to our folks."

"I think that's a lot more important than consummating", Honda said and Katsuya immediately grunted: "Because you're old fashioned. Now my dad wants Seto over for dinner so that he can threaten him."

Honda actually snorted at that before questioning: "He actually said that?"

"No, but I know how he thinks by now", Katsuya said with a frown. "If he'd really said it I wouldn't dare bring Seto over for him to chew up. But, since he's not saying it, I think that he's planning on pulling Seto aside at some point and then let loose." He grew determined. "I just have to make sure that whenever I leave Seto alone with him for longer than a moment, I remain within hearing distance."

"Good luck with that", Honda spoke, with apparent amusement at some mental image he was having. Katsuya would have probably snapped something unpleasant at his friend if Yugi had not chosen that exact moment to appear, greeting the two taller teens with a wide smile. After Katsuya and Honda greeted back, the latter one a bit less-enthusiastically, Yugi directed a worried look at the brunet and asked if something was wrong.

"Nothing other than the fact that Jou insists on telling me about his sex life", Honda groaned. "His _gay_ sex life."

"Well _excuse_ my preferences", Katsuya huffed indignantly and turned to Yugi. "Actually I was only wondering about how I could lure Seto into being intimate with me."

"Aren't you always telling him to keep his pervert hands off of you?" Yugi asked and Katsuya immediately blanched.

"I only mean that he shouldn't touch me like that in public", Katsuya explained with a displeased frown. "He only seems interested in me when we're at school, like he only touches me to show that I belong to him or something."

"Things like that are less frightening when there are others around", Yugi commented as he slid over to sit next to Katsuya, the both of them now facing Honda. "I mean, I'm pretty new to being in a relationship and I feel a lot more comfortable with being close to Yami when we're not alone." The boy blushed slightly in embarrassment. "It's sort of a guarantee that we won't go too far without meaning to."

"But I like to keep those things private", Katsuya insisted, crossing his arms defensively.

"Kaiba and Jou decided to tell their parents about their relationship", Honda piped up from the other side of the table, clearly trying to stop Katsuya from being further angered. "Jou told me that his dad wants to invite Kaiba over for dinner."

"How does Kaiba-kun feel about that?" Yugi questioned with a worried frown, to which Katsuya answered: "He doesn't have any other choice than to agree. He wants to make a good impression on my dad."

"Have you made arrangements for you meeting Kaiba-kun's parents?" Yugi asked and Katsuya shook his head slightly before saying: "We haven't talked about the whole thing much yet. We only made the decision yesterday and I called him earlier today to tell him about my dad's invitation."

"Still, the idea of a family dinner is very nice", Yugi said with a thoughtful tone. "You think I could invite Yami over for dinner and introduce him to grandpa and mom?" The boy crossed his arms into a thoughtful pose. "Even though both grandpa and mom know that I'm dating Yami, they don't really know what Yami is like. I'd like to fix that."

"I have to say that I admire you for coming out on your parents like that", Katsuya confessed in an impressed manner. "My dad still has no idea that I have a boyfriend."

"Well, my mom doesn't really understand the concept of a teenager's privacy", Yugi murmured with a blush rising to his cheeks. "She sort of walked in on us once."

"How the heck do you 'sort of' walk in on someone?" Honda questioned and Yugi released an embarrassed laugh before saying: "Well, we weren't doing much when she walked in, so it's only 'sort of'. The situation was so un-suggestive that we could have denied everything but we decided to come out with it."

"I think…" Katsuya started and easily gained his friends' attention before starting again. "I think that as long as Otomya agrees, it's not a bad idea", Katsuya replied. He found the idea rather interesting. Otomya would surely be feeling very awkward around such an authority as Yugi's grandpa. The elderly man seemed to see all of your secrets by just looking into your eyes. Katsuya did not have anything against Mutou Sugoroku; the man was very pleasant, but the blond tended to avoid the oldest Mutou whenever he visited Yugi. He had one too many secrets to feel comfortable in the face of that knowing gaze.

"So, do you guys have any plans for Christmas?" Honda asked then. "It's the most romantic time of the year, so I guess you two, the people who are actually dating, are planning something extra special."

"I usually spend Christmas home with my family", Yugi confessed. "But I have a feeling that Yami would like for us to do something together."

"I _know_ that Seto is planning something", Katsuya said and smiled at the thought. "That was the whole reason he wanted us to tell our parents that we're dating. Then we could go out together without having to make up excuses."

"I'm really surprised that you have managed to keep it a secret this long", Honda commented. "I mean, Kaiba's always all over you at school. One would think a word would have reached his family by now. Not to mention your father's paranoid tendencies." The brunet grimaced at the thought.

"My dad has been more laid back lately", Katsuya argued in his old man's defence. "And you said it yourself; Seto is all over me _at school_. Whenever we're as much as outside the school building, he's the perfect gentleman or whatever." The blond scowled at his friend. "Seto's not so stupid as to parade around broadcasting our relationship out in the open."

"And no one really pays attention to the girls talking about it", Honda said in agreement. "Adults don't take school kids seriously."

"But I have to wonder how everything will go", Katsuya spoke in worry then. "I mean, I know Seto can probably handle everything my dad attempts to dish out but what is Seto's family like? What will they think about their son dating someone like me?" He tugged at a few stray locks of hair, something he had a habit of doing when he felt exceptionally self-conscious. "I'm not exactly on the same level socially."

A snort came from Honda then, followed by the brunet saying: "You shouldn't let such things affect you. Being insecure doesn't suit you." He grinned then. "Besides, Kaiba will defend you."

At first Katsuya had felt better at his friend's support, but at Honda's last statement he snapped: "That's not what you're supposed to say!" He crossed his arms with a huff. "You're supposed to say that I can handle it, not that my boyfriend will take care of everything for me as if I couldn't stick up for myself." The blond then calmed down as he remembered something more pleasant and said: "Shizuka's coming over to visit on Christmas Day."

"Really?" Honda asked, his tone suddenly very eager. It was a good thing that Katsuya had had time to come into terms with the relationship his best friend shared with his sister. Otherwise he would have become unpleasant instead of smirking playfully and saying: "You should probably get her something nice as a present."

"Yeah", Honda agreed with a nod as a thoughtful look came to his face. "I only need to figure out _what_."

"Pendants are very romantic", Yugi suggested, finally speaking up again now that the other two were not arguing anymore. "You know the ones that you can open and put a picture inside?"

"That's out of the question", Katsuya insisted immediately and Honda cried out: "Why? It would have been the perfect romantic gift!"

"It won't be very romantic when her brother gets her one too", Katsuya said in a meaningful manner with a sharp look at Honda. And he was not backing down; he had bought that locket a three weeks ago and he was not going to go return it.

"Any other ideas?" Honda then asked Yugi, who shrugged his shoulders and smiled shyly as he spoke: "Nope, I've got nothing. Sorry."

"But surely you could tell me what you're getting your boyfriends?" Honda suggested then. "Maybe I can use the same ideas."

"Won't work with me", Katsuya said. "I got Seto a new tie. It's green, because he seriously needs one like that." The blond then grinned in amusement at the mental image of Shizuka finding a tie in her present.

"Isn't that the kind of present a woman gives to her husband?" Honda asked then and Katsuya blushed a bright red as he snapped: "_It's not!_"

"I'm pretty sure it is", Honda insisted. "My mom always gets my dad ties. And my sister gets the same for _her_ husband."

"Isn't green the sort of color _you_ wear, Jou?" Yugi questioned then. "Are you planning on having you two wear matching colors on some occasion?"

Katsuya hung his head in order to hide his burning face underneath his long hair. Why did Yugi have to be so sharp? Had he seen the blond's party wear? No, that could not be it. Anzu must have told him, that backstabbing no-good…

The mental rant would have probably gone on for quite some time if it had not been for Honda suddenly asking: "What about you, Yugi?" Apparently the brunet was more worried about his own predicament to tease Katsuya. "What are you getting Otomya?"

"Actually…" Yugi murmured with a pink hue appearing on top of his nose. "I'm getting him a pendant. That's why I suggested it."

A groan came from Honda in response, followed by the brunet's head hitting the table. Katsuya contemplated the possibility of telling his friend that Shizuka was extremely fond of stuffed animals, but he decided to do that only if the other proved that he was unable to come up with anything himself.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: I hope you all liked the chapter! And now that we are on the topic of Christmas, I must say that the Christmas celebrations are not part of the storyline of the fic. But, if enough people show interest in reading one, I will write a side story one-shot that's sickeningly cute and whatnot. And maybe I'll throw in a New Years carnival as well. Maybe. If you guys want it and I'm feeling motivated enough.


	6. You Can Call Me 'Dad', Not

**Play Your Part, Seto**

**Chapter 6**

**You Can Call Me "Dad", Not**

A nervous sigh came from Seto as the brunet shifted his weight onto his right foot. He held a small gift basket, Yami's suggestion, in his left hand and tried to get himself to ring the doorbell. He was determined to face this obstacle but he could not help but feel a bit hesitant about facing Jounouchi Osamu. Seto had not forgotten how it felt to have the man's malicious glare directed at the back of his head. Now he was supposed to _face_ that glare.

'Stop it!' Seto ordered himself, shaking his head to clear away the memory. 'You're a Kaiba and you're going to be the head of your father's company. How will you ever become better than your old man if you cannot face a single man for your beloved?' Seto pressed the button and held his breath.

The door opened almost instantly and Katsuya's smiling face was the first thing to greet him, followed by the blond cheering: "Seto! You're here!" A warm hand grasped Seto's wrist to pull him inside the apartment. "Come on in." And with that the door was closed, leaving Seto trapped like an animal in a cage, a cage that contained a large and strong beast.

"I was wondering how long you were going to stand behind that door", an older voice drawled and Seto shot a wide-eyed look at Jounouchi-san, who was looking at him in a way that spelled out: 'Not impressed.'

"Dad, behave", Katsuya spoke sternly while glaring at the older man. "I bet you had difficulties with keeping your cool when you met mom's parents."

The frown on Osamu's face deepened for a moment. But then the blond man sighed and uncrossed his arms, posture suddenly turning a lot less hostile. Seto cleared his throat before lifting the basket in his grasp and murmuring: "Um, I brought this."

"Thank you, Seto", Katsuya said and took the basket, turning to give it to his father. "You take care of this, dad."

Osamu glanced at the bag and lifted one of the items out, one that seemed to have instantly caught his attention: a coffee package.

"I have to say, at least the kid knows what's the good stuff", the man said and then turned to walk off with the basket, leaving the two teens alone.

"Good call, Seto", Katsuya said with a grin. "Dad loves coffee."

Seto merely shrugged his shoulders in response, thinking about how it had just been something Seto knew the man could not be offended by.

"The whole thing was Yami's idea", Seto confessed, a bit awkwardly. "I just had to purchase items that had the least potential to embarrass me."

"Getting him coffee was a brilliant idea", Katsuya insisted as he lifted his hands to Seto's arm. "He may not show it, but my dad's view of you certainly improved with that." The blond stepped close enough to Seto for the brunet to feel the other's body heat. "I think that deserves a reward." Katsuya leaned up with his eyes sliding shut in a purpose Seto instantly recognized.

Seto did not get a chance to get his kiss from Katsuya before Osamu's voice came: "You two, into the kitchen. I'm hungry."

Katsuya shot an instant glare at the man, growling out: "In a minute dad. We had a moment here that I'm not letting go to waste." In the next moment Katsuya's fist grabbed a hold of Seto's navy blue dress shirt and yanked the brunet down into a deep, sloppy kiss.

The kiss lasted for quite a few moments and ended only after Katsuya was satisfied. The blond pulled away with a resounding smack and shot his father a taunting look that Seto actually expected to draw retribution. But Osamu merely shook his head like he had expected something like that and turned sideways to indicate to the direction he had come from.

"Now are you ready to eat?"

"Sure, sure", Katsuya replied and started to walk past his father, only the man stopped him with a hand on the shoulder, turning the shorter blond to face Seto as he turned to the tall teen as well.

"First things first", Osamu said with a stern look at Seto. "I want to be absolutely certain that you understand this one thing: my son is male." He grabbed Seto's right wrist with his free hand and placed the brunet's palm against the left side of Katsuya's chest "Feel that? He's got a flat chest."

Seto could feel the taunt muscles underneath Katsuya's deep green shirt and commented: "Well, I wouldn't necessarily call it flat." He gave the muscle a slight squeeze with his fingers, earning a squeak and a blush from Katsuya.

A shiver passed through Seto's body then and the brunet glanced up at Osamu's face to see a murderous glare directed at him. Seto pulled his hand back quickly, as if it had been burned. Those malevolent eyes certainly were heated enough to burn.

"Let's get started on that dinner!" Katsuya exclaimed to cut off the glaring match going on. "I made some hotpot that I'm _very_ proud of!" Fortunately that was enough to get the older Jounouchi's attention and the group moved into the kitchen.

Dinner started out as a silent affair, probably because Katsuya seemed to have inherited his appetite from his father. Both blonds held food at such a high priority that discussion at the table was kept to a minimum until at least half of the food was gone. At that point Osamu, who was sitting opposite of Seto and Katsuya, spoke out: "I'll have you know that Katsuya will be attending university after high school."

"We have discussed the matter, yes", Seto replied, wondering why the man brought the subject up. "We're both applying for Domino University so that we'll have some chance of spending time together on campus."

"Right", Osamu said with a nod. "Katsuya will not be playing wife for you; he'll be getting an education."

That told Seto all he needed to know of Osamu's motives for bringing the matter up, and he spoke out: "I wouldn't dream of keeping Katsuya from doing something he wants." The teen released a chuckle and shot a look at the blond in question. "He wouldn't let me."

"Darn right", Katsuya said before shoving a large piece of pork into his mouth, chewing it with pleasure. A fond smile tugged at Seto's lips and the brunet masked it by also taking another bite out of his dinner.

It seemed that Osamu did not have anything else to discuss at that time, since the rest of the dinner passed in silence. It was only after they had all cleared their plates that Katsuya spoke out, directing his words to Seto: "How did you like the food?"

"Everything was delicious, Katsuya", Seto insisted instantly, almost jumping to attention when he heard his boyfriend's voice speak to him. "I can only imagine what other delicacies you might be able to cook up."

"Anzu was the one who taught me to cook", Katsuya told with a smile. "She was horrified when she heard that me and dad mostly survived on instant food." The blond released a chuckle. "I suppose I'm a fairly good student when I have the patience to learn."

Pushing back his chair, Katsuya got up and spoke: "You two can go wait in the living room while I clear out the plates. I'll bring out desert when I'm done."

Seto was about to argue with that command. There was _no way_ he was going to allow the blond to leave him alone in a room with a man who obviously despised him. But then he saw the stern look on Katsuya's face and walked out of the kitchen without any protests. That was the undeniable proof of Katsuya sharing some of his father's tendencies, which included the ability to look absolutely murderous.

Five minutes later Seto was sitting on the couch in the living room, facing Katsuya's father. The man could really look intimidating even when he was not doing anything more than sitting in an armchair. Or then Seto was simply feeling nervous because he knew the man was going to use this opportunity to interrogate him.

"So, have you slept with my son yet?"

Seto instantly spluttered at the question, the sound accompanied by Katsuya exclaiming: "Dad!" Looking to the side, Seto saw Katsuya standing in the kitchen doorway looking very displeased. The blond had shown up just on the time to hear his father's question. There was a possibility he had intended it that way.

"What?" Osamu questioned. "Don't tell me you weren't expecting that."

Katsuya laid the desert tray down on the living room table and scoffed before replying: "Yes, I thought you might think about it." The blond sat down beside his boyfriend. "But I never thought that you would actually ask it! Especially with me out of the room!"

Osamu did not seem to be bothered by his son's apparent anger and only shrugged his shoulders as he muttered: "I just figured-"

"You figured that Seto is treating me wrong in this relationship. But he isn't", Katsuya snapped at the man. "The only one treating me wrong here is you." The glaring brown eyes narrowed further. "And neither are you treating Seto quite right."

There was a frown on Osamu's face, accompanied by the man growling out in a warning tone: "Katsuya…"

"I won't stand for that!" Katsuya snapped, cutting the man off. The blond had by then wrapped his arm around Seto's own. Seto decided to try and diffuse the situation and spoke out: "No, we haven't slept together. I haven't touched Katsuya inappropriately."

There was a pause as both Jounouchis shot him a look. Then the older one asked: "Why on earth not?"

That was not the reaction Seto had been waiting for. He was certain that Katsuya was looking just as dumbfounded as he was.

"Don't get me wrong", Osamu spoke in a stern tone. "I'm pleased to hear that my son still has his virginity intact."

"Dad!" Katsuya hissed in embarrassment, but Osamu paid him no mind as he continued: "But, I understand that young men like you two have needs and hormones, so I can be lenient towards simple fooling around."

"Please, Jounouchi-san", Seto uttered, hoping to silence the man before his cheeks flushed any more than they already had. "Katsuya's well-being is my first priority always."

"Ooh", the man uttered with a grin before turning to look at Katsuya. "Just so you know, son, if you have to date a guy I prefer this one over anyone else." That statement earned a growl from Katsuya, followed by the blond standing up and grabbing the tray he had set on the table.

"Do you want desert or not?" he snapped. The two other males immediately answered with an affirmative.

&

"I have to say, Katsuya, this has to be the best mousse I've had yet", Seto spoke out after the dessert had been eaten. "And you made this yourself?"

"You bet", Katsuya answered brightly, feeling very proud of himself. The feeling intensified when Seto gave him a small smile and said: "If I had desserts this good every day I would surely end up a couple of dozen kilos overweight."

Katsuya released a laugh at that admission before cooing gently: "I'd still like you even if you were a tubby." The blond smiled widely. "I'd like it especially if it was because of my cooking." He patted Seto's stomach gently. "At the moment I'd dare say that you're a bit underweight, though. You actually need to gain a bit weight, honey."

"I'll gain it within a few months if you bring me treats like this to school", Seto suggested and Katsuya was about to agree, only to be cut off by his father suddenly questioning: "You let him call you 'honey'?"

Katsuya shot a quick look at his father to see his attention directed at Seto. Beside him Seto paused for a moment before answering: "I see no harm in it when we're alone or among friends." Katsuya could feel the brunet shrug beside him. "And it's not like he would stop with it even if I told him to."

"And so you haven't told him to…" Osamu murmured and rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. He turned his gaze to Katsuya. "Keep him."

"W-what?" Katsuya stuttered, not sure he understood his father's words correctly. It was a completely different thing to say that he preferred Seto to other guys and to say that he would want Katsuya to keep the brunet. The former meant that he agreed with Katsuya's choice for now, but the latter would mean that Katsuya could be together with Seto for an undetermined amount of time without it being a problem.

"If a man allows himself to be called by a degrading pet name, he's definitely a keeper", Osamu insisted in a know-it-all voice. "So, I'm telling you to keep him. Especially since he's willing to keep his paws off you."

"Dad", Katsuya growled out threateningly. "Don't make me go unpleasant."

"Fine, I'll lay off", Osamu conceded and leaned back in his chair. "I got what I wanted out of the guy anyway."

Shaking his head Katsuya gathered up the dessert bowls before standing up and turning to Seto to ask: "You want to help me with these?"

The brunet nodded his head once before standing up and following Katsuya to the kitchen, where they proceeded to pile the dishes into the washer. It was the perfect opportunity to check up on how Seto was doing so far.

"How are you hanging in there?" Katsuya questioned. A groan came as his first response, followed by Seto murmuring: "Every worst case scenario has already happened, excluding some terrible misunderstanding that would result in your father hiring a hit man to off me."

"If it's any consolation, I think he actually likes you better after all that humiliation", Katsuya said in a manner that was meant to reassure. In the end, when he saw Seto grimace, he came to the conclusion that he could have probably done better.

"Well, at least now I don't have to be afraid of you running off when it's time for you to meet _my_ father", Seto said in a tone of voice that spelled out his lack of faith in that going well. "Since I was forced to listen to that interrogation you're going to tolerate my father doing a background check on you."

"Umm…" Katsuya murmured softly, not sure how to respond to the statement. "You mean he's going to ask about where I live and where we met and about my family, right?"

The look Seto gave him answered his question better than anything else; it was not going to be anything as simple as that. Still, the brunet decided to elaborate: "I mean that he's very likely to hire someone to look all that information up and merely confirm it with you."

That did not sound good, not at all. Katsuya's past was _not_ something that would impress his boyfriend's father. But the only thing he could do about that was hope that the man the elder Kaiba hired would not have enough time to dig up that deep before the meeting and then Katsuya would have to appear as uninteresting as he could to have the man lay off.

"It'll be alright, Katsuya", Seto spoke then, his voice suddenly soothing. "I didn't mean to frighten you. My father won't be interested in much more than what your parents do for a living and what your grades at school are."

"Oh, that's just wonderful", Katsuya grumbled with sarcasm. "I'm sure that divorced parents and below average grades will impress a corporate head." He really had not thought about it before. He and Seto were from completely different worlds. There was no way for him to be accepted into that.

"Calm down", Seto said sternly. "You're almost panicking. You're forgetting that I won't stand idle and let my old man harass you. I also won't allow him to tell me what to do. You kept an eye on your father for me and I'll do the same for you." The brunet lifted a hand and ran his fingers through Katsuya's hair. The blond basked in the comfort the by now familiar action brought and thought that maybe it would all turn out for the better in the end.

A short time later, after Seto had left, Katsuya went back to the living room to confront his father. A brief glance was shared between the two blonds, a quickly passing moment of silent communication, and then Osamu sighed in a resigned manner and lifted a hand to give his son the go ahead to start speaking.

"Why are you such an ass?" Katsuya started off, prepared to launch into a heater tirade, only to have his father interrupt: "Watch your language."

"Fine!" the younger blond snapped. "Why were you so _mean_ to Seto? You were fine with me liking him and I can see that you aren't really _that_ opposed to me being with him, so what gives?"

Osamu released another sigh before looking thoughtful for the briefest of moments. Then he laughed and spoke: "Just because I like him it doesn't mean that I won't worry about you." The man scratched his head. "And just because I would find him a welcome quest for family movie night, it doesn't mean that he should know that."

Family movie night. That thought always brought a smile to Katsuya face, even when the 'family' consisted of only the two males of what had once been a perfect family. Still, to hear his father say that he would not mind having Seto over on one of their 'sacred' father-son evenings spoke a lot in favour of the possibility of Seto becoming a member of the family as well. Katsuya grinned widely.

"You do realize that I'm going to end up telling Seto all of that at some point, right?" Katsuya warned his father. He really could not keep anything from Seto for long, especially now that they had made that pact of equality.

"I've already had my fun", Osamu said in an amused tone. "Go ahead and tell your boyfriend he doesn't have to fear me as long as he doesn't hurt you. I wouldn't want to have scared him off from ever visiting again."

"Maybe after a few weeks, dad", Katsuya replied. "I think Seto needs a small break from having to hear from you." The loud, barking laughter that followed was all Katsuya needed to hear from his father to be certain that the man had truly accepted Katsuya's relationship with Seto.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: I was really looking forward to writing this chapter but while I was proofreading it, I noticed that the writing gets really awkward halfway through the text. I apologise for that; it's the result of an extremely persistent writer's block that did not want me to finish the chapter.

Anyway, I am considering adding a lemon into the storyline later on. I'd like you guys to tell me what you think about that: I want to know if you'd like one or not and if yes, then if you'd prefer a less graphic one against full-blown citrus.


	7. Obstacles and Struggles

**Play Your Part, Seto**

**Chapter 7**

**Obstacles And Struggles**

Seto frowned in worry as he tapped his pencil against the desktop. He was feeling anxious about the upcoming weekend. As soon as the current lesson ended they would all head off home to spend their weekends and Seto's plans were all but fun. Actually, the brunet dreaded the very thought of what he was going to be doing.

The plan was for Seto to confront his father and tell him about Katsuya. It was the most appropriate time for it; the elder Kaiba had a weekend off for the first time in months and would be more relaxed with his latest project completed. Within the next couple of days the man would be the least likely to react impulsively to Seto's revelation of him dating a male classmate. That still would not guarantee that the man would not be completely against it, though.

Finally the school bell rang and students started to get up from their seats. Seto stayed seated for a while longer, not really in a hurry. A shadow fell over his desk and blue eyes looked up to his boyfriend's worried face.

"Are you okay there, Seto?" Katsuya asked gently. "I've never seen you so anxious before." The blond ran a hand through his hair. "I've never seen you anxious period."

"I'm telling my father today, tomorrow at the latest", Seto answered and watched Katsuya's eyes widen in understanding. A moment passed and then the brown eyes widened further as if the blond had just realized something.

"That reminds me…" Katsuya muttered and lifted his schoolbag onto Seto's desk. "I was supposed to give you something but I kept forgetting it." The blond dug through the bag until he pulled out a folder and handed it over to Seto.

"What's this?" Seto questioned while he took the folder and flipped it open. The first thing he noticed was that there seemed to be a report card on top.

"You said that your father would be most interested in my school record and my parents' employment", Katsuya spoke. "I have most of it in there to save him the trouble of having anyone investigate me."

Lifting an eyebrow in surprise, Seto wondered just why Katsuya did this. Handing over his personal data without a fight was too close to giving up for Katsuya to be fully comfortable with it.

"I really don't like the thought of someone digging up dirt on me", Katsuya explained, like he knew what Seto was thinking. "I have too many dirty secrets. Anyone doing even a half-decent job of checking my past is bound to find out about the kind of lot I used to hang out with."

"Of course, good thinking…" Seto murmured as he looked some of the papers over. It made a lot of sense; Katsuya _did_ indeed have one too many secrets. "It's actually a very good idea."

"Oh?" Katsuya questioned and a shift brought Seto's gaze back to his boyfriend. The blond had crossed his arms and had lifted an eyebrow in a manner that spoke of annoyance. "Are you implying I usually have bad ideas?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call cross dressing in order to gain your parents' attention a good idea", Seto commented with a smirk up at the blond. "I'd call it a bad idea if I was to be nice about it."

Katsuya stuck a tongue out at him before grumbling with distaste: "You're such a jerk."

"Only during weekdays, beloved", Seto replied and admired the way Katsuya's cheeks flushed in embarrassment at the pet name. The blond was simply too adorable sometimes. It made Seto want to put a leash on him just so that he would not get stolen away.

Sometimes Seto really wondered about the features Katsuya brought out from him. Some of the thoughts Seto had when it came to keeping the blond safe and close were very similar to the way of thinking the brunet had had before he even had met Katsuya. It made Seto wonder if that darker side of him never really went away, but had simply been suppressed during the time he had spent 'wooing' Katsuya. Whatever it was, Seto would not have it any other way; he felt better than he had in a long time.

"-it will go?" Katsuya's voice spoke with a ring that told Seto that he had just been asked a question. The brunet blinked up at his boyfriend in confusion, wondering just what the blond was talking about now. Katsuya had a very cunning talent for changing the topic of conversation very rapidly.

A sigh came from Katsuya, a clear sign that the blond had noticed that Seto had not heard him at all. It happened every now and then so it was not really a surprise. Katsuya knew that Seto had an overly active mind that tended to flitter away and leave the rest of the world in the dust.

"Yugi told me today that Otomya is having dinner with his family during the weekend", Katsuya said. "I asked you how you think it will go."

"Probably better than the dinner at your place", Seto grumbled, still feeling rather sore about the previous weekend. "Yugi's mother and grandfather don't already hate him."

"Aw, come on Seto", Katsuya cooed softly, placing a hand on top of Seto's own. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll share a secret with you." The blond leaned in and Seto shivered when he felt the other's warm breath against his ear and cheek. And then the blond whispered in a tone of voice that somehow sounded very seducing indeed to Seto. "My dad wants to have you over again. He thinks you're great." Then the blond pulled back and Seto shivered again, that time from the cold and loss. "Besides, Yugi's grandpa is an old perv. He's bound to say something _very_ embarrassing sooner or later."

"Like what?" Seto questioned with a curious frown. He had not expected this; he had always believed that kids like Yugi were born into families full of kind and proper people.

"Well, he might try to give them pointers on how to be together", Katsuya explained as a wicked grin spread on his face. "If my dad started talking to me about positions I'd shoot myself on the spot to avoid the mental images."

Seto made a face as he realized what Katsuya meant and murmured. "I'm already starting to get images…"

_Saturday_

That Saturday morning Seto slept in for the first time in two years. However, the brunet could easily blame the event on the fact that it had taken him ages to fall asleep due to the nervous adrenaline that ran through his body every time he thought about confronting his father. However, it was still reasonably early by the time Seto entered the empty kitchen to grab some simple breakfast. He ended up settling for some toast and green tea. Afterwards the brunet made his way into the living room, where Mokuba was watching Saturday morning kids' shows with the dishes from his own breakfast lying on top of the living room table.

Placing his mug of tea onto the table, Seto sat down beside his brother before saying: "You'd better clean up after yourself; you know we have less staff over the weekend."

"Yeah, yeah, you remind me about it all the time. I won't forget", Mokuba grumbled in a way that only a boy about to hit puberty could. Seto truly worried about the possible difficulties Mokuba would cause in the house once he did indeed reach puberty. If the young boy got any more disobedient, the situation would call for some serious disciplinary methods.

"Is father home?" Seto questioned from his brother. He knew that the man had said that he was taking the weekend off several times that week, but the elder Kaiba was known to break such promises without a second thought if he found something too urgent to leave for later. This category included many things from important things, such as shifted meeting dates, to something as trivial as the employment of a new cleaning crew.

"Yup. He's upstairs in his office", Mokuba answered simply. "What do you need him for?"

"I want to tell him something", was Seto's vague answer. The brunet shoved what was left of his toast into his mouth and washed it down with tea. He stood up from his seat. "I'm off."

"What do you need to tell him?" Mokuba asked curiously. Seto looked over to see the small boy wearing a mischievous grin as he teased: "Do you have a girlfriend to introduce to him?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mokuba", Seto said with a nonchalant air about him. After all, he was not exactly bluffing; he had a _boy_friend. "What makes you think it would be something like that? You know I don't care about dating."

"Well, it can't be anything about school, since you're a genius and all", Mokuba pointed out. The raven-haired boy pouted as he pleaded to Seto: "Tell me what the big secret is! I won't tell anyone."

"Of course you won't", Seto said gently, ruffling his brother's hair. Mokuba's eyes shone brightly but the happy expression fell immediately when Seto turned to walk off.

"Seto!" the boy called after the brunet. "You can't just raise my hopes up and then crush them so mercilessly!"

"Oh, I think I can Mokuba", Seto said with a smirk, already at the doorway of the living room. "I just did, after all." With that the brunet made the rest of the way to the kitchen to put away his dirty dishes, before he went to climb the stairs to the second floor, where his father's office was.

When Seto had been a little boy, around the age of nine, he had feared his father's office and the hallway outside of it. The thing Seto had hated most about the place was the lack of lighting; there were no windows or lights in the hallway and the senior Kaiba always held the drapes in front of the only window in the office shut. The man preferred to work in dim lighting, allowing only a desk lamp to shed light within his sanctuary. Seto's father was also a large man; the Kaiba was tall and had broad shoulders; and when shrouded in darkness his sitting form had always looked monstrous. After Seto had grown older and reached his father in height, most of the intimidation the man had over him faded away. At present Seto was aware that his father suffered from migraines and had understood that it was easy to ease the room into calming darkness when there was only one source of light that was close enough to be turned off easily.

It was without any hesitation at all that Seto knocked on the door to his father's office, waiting silently and still for permission to enter. Once it was granted by a gruff voice, Seto pushed the door open easily and entered the dimly lit office.

"Seto, what do you need?" Kaiba Renji spoke without looking up from his papers. The man had once told Seto that the members of the household were easily distinguished from each other by the way their footsteps sounded, so the brunet was not anymore disturbed by the other's uncanny ability to know who entered his office without looking.

Kaiba Renji was often said to be an impressive figure. In addition to his broad shoulders the man also otherwise widely built, even though he could not be called fat by any standards. A short beard that had some grey stripes covered most of his wide chin and further emphasised the man's regal look. In his youth Renji had been considered a very attractive man but none of Seto's looks were really from him, excluding the tall stature they shared as well as the dark brown hair many admired. Most of Seto's looks had come from his mother, which was probably the reason Renji, in his own way, doted on Seto.

Renji's ideas for how to treat a favourite child differed from the way most viewed the concept. To the Kaiba patriarch a favourite child was not given privileges but challenges. The man expected Seto to exceed in everything he did and as a result Seto had grown up detached from his peers and with a perfectionist streak that bordered on obsessive-compulsive disorder. That was no reason for Seto to hate or despise his father but the brunet was well aware of how he felt very little fondness towards the man. Seto respected Renji and acknowledged the man's authority as his father and a corporate head, but they did not share anything like to the kind of relationship Katsuya had with his father.

Ever since Seto had been a child, he had felt nervous around his father. Even once he had grown up he could not see a common ground between himself and the older man that would allow for comfortable discussion. Perhaps that was the reason he was so nervous about telling Renji about Katsuya; he did not really know his father and therefore had little knowledge of how the man might react. Everything Seto knew had to do with the way his father handled the business, since the man had thought than only he could show his son how to properly take after him. Some of the things Renji did to progress the corporation were barely legal, but Seto understood the occasional need for such methods. Seto did not want to think about the many different measures Renji could take to remove Katsuya from Seto's life if he did not approve of the blond.

Still, none of this inner turmoil was visible when Seto walked over to his father's desk and handed over the folder he had been carrying around with him ever since he had left his room. When Renji took the folder with a curious furrowing of his eyebrows, Seto started to speak: "Father, I wish to tell you that I have involved myself in a romantic relationship with one of my classmates."

"No need to sound so technical about it", Renji grumbled as he flipped the folder open, clearly determined to gather some more information before really reacting to the news. "Jounouchi Katsuya?" the man murmured as his brows furrowed further. "That's not a girl's name."

"No father", Seto agreed with a nod of his head. "I'm dating a boy."

Silence fell within the office while Renji tried to get his head around this revelation and Seto waited for the explosion that he was now sure was forthcoming. Finally the man snapped the folder shut and hissed in a dangerously low voice: "What?"

"I'm going out with a boy named Jounouchi Katsuya", Seto confirmed needlessly. "And no, I do not plan to stop."

The man shuddered then, from helplessness Seto suspected, and opened the folder again. He looked over the information before speaking out: "It seems this Jounouchi-kun is from a decent family, his parents are unofficially divorced and he is skilled in English and literature." The deep brown eyes looked up to meet Seto's own blue ones. "And you wouldn't call this off even if I told you to?"

"No", Seto said with conviction and knew from the sigh the man released that he had played his cards just right. Renji then turned to his computer and clicked a couple of times before speaking out: "I assume that you want me to meet him. The next time I have time off is in February, on the twentieth."

"Father, the meeting will take thirty minutes tops. Surely you can make the time sooner", Seto prompted, hoping that he was not pushing it. It seemed that it was not too much to ask, however, when the man frowned in thought before suggesting: "I could come home earlier next Thursday. I'll clear a spot for seven o'clock." It was not a question so Seto would have to hope that Katsuya could make it then.

"We'll do that", Seto agreed with a nod. Renji also nodded his head to signal the finality of the decision before questioning: "Was that all?"

"Yes, that was all", Seto said and nodded once more. "Thank you father."

"Hn", was the answer Seto received before the man said. "Now I have some work I need to finish. I'll see you at dinner."

"Until dinner then", Seto spoke out before swiftly making his way out of the office, all the while trying to seem like he was not in too much of a hurry. When the door had slid securely shut behind him, Seto still did not feel like he was in his comfort zone. So, he brunet made his way to his room with a fast stride. It was when the door to his own bedroom slid shut behind him and Seto allowed himself to release a sigh of relief.

He really had no idea how he was supposed to interact with his father. The last moments of conversation within that dark office had been pure torture simply because they had been so very awkward. Which was almost sad, really.

_Sunday_

Truth be told, when Seto had first told Yami about how he was going to have dinner with his boyfriend's father, Yami had laughed. Oh, he had laughed hard and loud and for a long time. The very idea of his friend going through such a thing had been simply too hilarious for Yami to have stayed quiet. But when the star-haired youth knocked on the door of his own boyfriend's house that Sunday, he started to regret it. Because only karma could arrange something like this.

Soon enough the door opened to reveal Yugi's widely smiling face. Yami watched how the shorter teen's expression brightened even further at seeing him and he was then reduced into admiring goo while Yugi took his jacket and hung it up on the coat rack beside the door.

When Yugi started to lead the way further into the house, Yami hesitated as he thought of something. His hand was clasped around Yugi's own so when he stopped walking, the shorter teen was jerked into a stop as well. Yugi's amethyst eyes turned to look at Yami with curiosity.

"I was wondering…" Yami started and swallowed at a suddenly formed lump as he felt nervous perspiration rising to the back of his neck. "Your family isn't Christian or anything, is it?" Because, if they were, then Yami certainly would not know what to do. He had heard that some factions said a prayer before starting to eat but he had no idea what such a prayer entailed. He would make a fool of himself.

A giggle broke from Yugi, snapping Yami out of those horror images. Yami looked down at his boyfriend, who smiled at him in good humour before speaking in a reassuring tone: "Don't worry, Yami, we're not. No one is going to be giving you a pop quiz on foreign culture here."

"Alright then", Yami murmured with a soft sigh. Then he smiled down at his boyfriend and spoke: "Let's do this thing!" That earned him a giggle from Yugi, who beamed up at him before saying: "I'm so proud of you right now." The shorter teen ran a hand through his hair and released an awkward laugh. "There was a point I thought you wouldn't show up. Bakura said you wouldn't."

Those were not the kinds of words Yami liked hearing. Actually, he did not like hearing Yugi use that name. Not to mention Yugi should have known better than to listen to Sariko.

"I hardly think Sariko has the right _or_ knowledge required to speak for me", Yami said sternly. "You should know better than to listen to him by now."

"I know, I know", Yugi said hurriedly. "But he always knows just the right way to say things in order to sound believable. He can be very convincing." The boy's cheeks reddened. "Not to mention I could tell that you weren't excited about this."

"If Bakura is such a good speaker, he should go into politics and leave our relationship alone", Yami grumbled in embarrassment. "And as for not being excited, who would be excited about being judged?" Although Yami was not terribly worried about that anymore, not now that he knew the Mutous were just like the rest of regular Japanese families.

"Yugi? Who was at the door?" a feminine voice called and both boys looked up to see Mutou Ami appearing in the doorway that led further into the house. The woman's eyes fell on Yami and she smiled warmly in welcome. "Ah, so it was you, Yami-kun. Come on in so we can start eating." Ami beamed brightly. "I made mandarin chicken."

"Sounds delicious, Ami-san", Yami said and made his way to the woman, handing over the box he had brought with him. "I brought some cream pastries. They're fresh."

"That's wonderful!" Ami cheered as she accepted the gift. "I accidentally burned down that berry pie I had intended as dessert, so this is a happy surprise indeed." With that the woman scurried off towards the kitchen. "Father! Yami-kun is here! We're going to start eating now!"

"Good thinking there, Yami", Yugi praised Yami quietly as the two moved to follow the woman. "Mom isn't the best of chefs when it comes to preparing pastries."

"I remembered you mentioning something along those lines before", Yami confessed with an embarrassed smile. "It was when you told me not to eat the chocolate cookies she brought in for us one time." The discussion stopped at that when the two boys entered the kitchen and sat down on one side of the table with Sugoroku and Ami sitting opposite to them.

It turned out that Ami was a lot more skilled at cooking chicken than desserts. The food was delicious and the conversation consisted mostly of simple small talk. But the conversation was mostly held between Ami and Yami, while Sugoroku observed Yami with silent scrutiny and Yugi in turn tried to glare in a warning manner at the old man. Yami noticed this when his plate was almost empty and he considered taking a refill just to avoid whatever it was that the oldest Mutou was waiting for a chance to say.

In the end it was not Sugoroku who spoke out first after all the plates were empty. Ami smiled in a friendly manner at Yami before speaking: "Yugi told us that you're not really from around here. Where are you from exactly?"

"Um…Osaka", Yami replied a bit awkwardly. He did not feel comfortable with discussing his past but reminded himself that neither Ami nor Sugoroku knew anything about the sort of person he used to be. They would not start questioning him about that.

"That's a lot bigger of a city than Domino", Ami commented then before questioning. "How was it there?"

"I actually prefer Domino to Osaka", Yami answered easily. It was the truth after all. "People aren't nearly as rude here."

"Ohoo!" Sugoroku laughed then in a welcoming manner, one which Yami preferred since it did not make him as nervous as the thoughtful mannerism from before. "Big city attitudes got to you then?"

"You could say that", Yami replied, feeling more at ease. "I needed a change in scenery."

"Did you leave many friends behind?" Ami questioned with a motherly worry that made Yami feel more like he belonged and so the boy answered without hesitation: "There wasn't really anyone so close to me that I would miss them." The teen hesitated then, realizing how out of ordinary such a statement was for a boy his age. "I…was a bit of a loner, actually."

"That reminds me a lot of the way Yugi used to be", Ami spoke supportively. "Were you the one to help him out of his shell?"

Actually it had been the other way around, Yami mused as he spoke in amusement: "I would blame his meddling friends for that." Yugi actually laughed at that comment, probably because the boy acknowledged the truth it held. Yami smiled gently at the smaller teen before turning to Ami again and speaking softly: "I'm very grateful for getting to meet Yugi."

"Oh, Yami", Yugi murmured and leaned against his arm. "You say the sweetest things." Looking over to the two adults Yami could see Ami beaming at the display while Sugoroku hid a laugh and a smile behind his fist as he faked a cough.

It appeared that Yami was still welcome in the Mutou household, all thanks to a short family dinner. And he even got himself some extra cuddling time with Yugi as a bonus.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Alright, I'm not entirely sure I brought Seto's father across exactly the way I wanted in the text, so I'm going to include a little information-package about his character. The reason some of this stuff did not come apparent within the chapter is because Seto's knowledge of his father is vague at best and I was using his point of view. Seto doesn't really know what motivates his father; he only makes assumptions.

First of all Renji is a very family-oriented person and he did actually love his first wife. But he's been very distant towards his sons ever since she died when giving birth to Mokuba. Secondly, he's a perfectionist and expects the same from his sons. He has put effort into raising them right, but he hasn't really connected with them, which is the reason for why Seto doesn't really acknowledge any affection between them. Lastly, Renji is not an evil person (note: NOT like Gozaburou!) but he does stretch the line between 'moral' and 'immoral' when doing business.

Also, you're all probably wondering about how he took Seto's confession so well. He didn't, not really. You'll just have to wait to see what I mean.


	8. Did Your Mom Just Try to Hit On Me?

**Play Your Part, Seto**

**Chapter 8**

**Did Your Mom Just Try to Hit on Me?**

Katsuya fidgeted with the bottom of his shirt nervously as he waited for Seto to come pick him up. Seto lived such a long distance away that the brunet had insisted on giving Katsuya a ride from his apartment, which was both a good thing and a bad thing; it was a good thing because this way Katsuya could not get lost during the trip and a bad thing because it gave Katsuya more than enough time to change his outfit about a dozen times. In the end the blond had ended up wearing the same outfit he had started with: a bright green button-up shirt and dark brown dress pants. The first few top buttons of the shirt were left undone so that the dark green t-shirt underneath was slightly visible. Katsuya did not feel like dressing up too fancily but he did not feel comfortable with going to meet the Kaiba's in his jeans either.

When the doorbell rang, Katsuya sprang up from his seat on the couch. He rushed over to the door and threw it open, much to Seto's surprise. The brunet actually paused for a moment in his confusion, before coughing into his fist and questioning: "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Katsuya answered and was out the door in the next moment, pausing only to grab a coat before stepping outside and closing the door behind him. Katsuya stopped then, noticing that Seto was looking him over rather intently. At first he thought that there was something wrong with his outfit, until Seto's eyes rose to meet his and he saw that the look the brunet was giving him was not disapproving at all. On the contrary, Seto was gazing at him in a very appraising manner.

"Green really brings out your eyes," Seto murmured softly and Katsuya blushed hotly. The blond pulled on his pale cream coat in a self-conscious manner. He had gotten quite a few compliments like that while he had been masquerading as his younger sister but he was still trying to get his head around the fact that he was attractive to Seto without any props.

"A-are we going or what?" Katsuya snapped in a vain effort to hide his embarrassment. He knew that he was not being very convincing and he was proven right when Seto actually reached out to grab his hand to lead the way while speaking gently: "Let's get going then, beloved." Katsuya almost tripped over his feet at the last word. He really hated it when Seto said things like that. He did it only because he knew it would have an effect on Katsuya.

"Easy there, dear," Seto crooned soothingly as he helped Katsuya regain his balance, an act that had Katsuya blushing from the humiliation of it all. But, it was a private humiliation, so it was a lot easier to bear.

The two were soon seated in the backseat of a blue car. Katsuya had insisted beforehand that he would not get into a limo if Seto attempted to come pick him up in one. Once both of their seatbelts were securely buckled Katsuya snuggled up against Seto's side, all of his annoyance with the brunet quickly vanishing.

"Is there anything in particular I should be prepared for?" Katsuya asked from his boyfriend, wondering about the kinds of surprises he might encounter when meeting the Kaibas.

"Well, neither my stepmother not my brother know that you're a boy," Seto started. "They might be a bit surprised when they see you, since my father didn't want to discuss the matter any more than to inform the other two that I have a 'significant other' coming over." Seto pressed the two particular words while he spoke but Katsuya did not recognize the tone the other used.

"But what about your father?" Katsuya queried, not feeling very confident with what Seto had revealed. "It doesn't sound like he's too happy about the situation and he's the one whose reaction I'm the most worried about."

"So far he seems to be in denial about the whole thing," Seto confessed with an awkward air. "He apparently convinced himself that I'm going through some sort of a passing phase."

"Are you?" Katsuya questioned curiously. "Going through a phase I mean? Do you think you are?"

"No," Seto said sternly in a tone of voice that indicated that his answer was final. "I've never been interested in girls." The brunet scowled with displeasure. "Sometimes I don't understand that man. He's so focused on what he wants that he ignores the things that are right in front of him if they conflict with those desires."

"Actually, that sounds a lot like you," Katsuya could not help but point out. "You can be very stubborn and thick-headed and I don't think denial is something you're unfamiliar with." The blond explained this in a thoughtful tone. However, it seemed that Seto did not want to discuss the matter with thought and preferred emotion since, instead of considering the possibility, he immediately argued: "We are nothing alike. You're making things up."

"But there it is," Katsuya insisted, lifting a finger for emphasis. He could not keep the amusement from his face or tone of voice as he continued. "Even now you're in denial about the possibility of you having something in common with your father."

"Don't play psychologist with me, Katsuya," Seto warned with a dangerous smirk spreading on his thin lips. "Otherwise I'll start playing physician with you."

Feeling his face heat up at the implication, Katsuya tilted his head to the side as he gave Seto a sultry smile and breathed out huskily: "Please do, sensei."

"Damn it!" Seto hissed as his cheeks suddenly flared in reaction to the open innuendo. "_Not_ in the backseat of a car, especially when the driver can hear you!"

That last reminder caused Katsuya to blush as well. He had forgotten all about the driver! The man was so silent that the blond had easily ignored his very existence. Hesitantly, suddenly feeling very shy and embarrassed, Katsuya glanced at the rear-view mirror to see that the man was still staring blankly ahead at the road, like he had not just heard his employer's son's boyfriend flirting with said employer's son.

"Ah, we're here," Seto spoke out then, bringing Katsuya out of his distracted thoughts. The blond glanced at Seto before the meaning of the words settled and he curiously turned to look out a window to see the kind of house his boyfriend lived in.

It was a freaking manor, and it was not even a small one. It was just the type Katsuya had seen in history books; it looked like the kind of mansion a plantation owner would have had during the colonising period, only it was a lot larger. The stone walls were a pale shade that was between brown and grey.

"I take it you're impressed then?" a snide voice commented from behind Katsuya and the blond's head whirled around to give Seto a heated glare even as his cheeks flushed from embarrassment.

"Shut up," Katsuya grumbled, to which Seto only smirked before getting out of the car. Katsuya quickly scurried to follow the brunet out through the same door, not about to get caught off guard so that Seto could open the door on his side for him as the brunet would have surely done if Katsuya gave him the chance.

"Are you ready?" Seto queried when Katsuya was standing next to him. The blond shook off a sudden wave of nervousness and nodded his head in response, not trusting his voice to keep up with his currently rapidly changing mood. Seto gave him a reassuring smile and placed a hand to the small of the shorter teen's back to lead him towards the front steps of the manor.

"So, are we headed straight to your pops?" Katsuya asked when they were in front of the doors. It was after the door had been opened and the two were in the process of stepping inside that Seto replied: "No, I thought we'd go meet my stepmother first. She's bound to corner us before we get upstairs anyway." The brunet grimaced. "Not to mention we're sure to run into Mokuba as well."

That last notion was the only actually pleasant part of Seto's answer. Katsuya remembered Mokuba from the dance during the previous summer. The dark-haired little boy had been so full of joy and energy and Katsuya had immediately grown fond of him. It was going to be great to see the little rascal again, even when he probably would not recognize Katsuya to be the girl that had danced with his older brother. But maybe the boy would not be too disappointed when he got to see Katsuya for what he really was, maybe.

"'Niisama!" a childish voice shrieked as soon as the two teens made it into the main hall. The next thing Katsuya knew was that he had a sudden weight hanging from his right arm, one that turned out to be his boyfriend's younger brother. Looking down at the dark-haired boy, Katsuya first saw the wide, eager smile as Mokuba cheered: "So you finally got together with 'niisama. I knew it was only a matter of time, since -" The boy blinked then, his eyes widening in surprise. "But, you're a boy."

"Um…" Katsuya murmured as his cheeks flushed. He gave the short boy an apologetic smile before saying hesitantly. "Sorry?"

"No," Mokuba said quickly, releasing his grip on the blond. "Don't be." The boy's good mood returned as suddenly as it had vanished and he grinned up at Katsuya. "I just need to take a new picture of you two." Mokuba stepped back, like he was in a sudden hurry, only to pause and give Katsuya a stern look. "I'm going to get a camera. Do _not_ disappear while I'm gone." And with that the boy was off before Katsuya could as much as consider answering.

"You have a really perceptive brother," Katsuya commented to Seto, turning to the brunet in question. "He recognized me immediately."

"He was already convinced that I was going to be bringing the girl from the dance," Seto replied. "So it wasn't really anything _that_ special." The brunet reached out to grasp Katsuya's wrist in a gentle grip. "Come along now. Mokuba is always misplacing things. It's going to take him a while to find his camera." Seto tugged at Katsuya's arm, starting to lead the blond further into the house, out of the foyer. "We can use the time efficiently and go greet my stepmother."

"Right, efficiently," Katsuya murmured in agreement even as he made a face at the choice of words. Seto always sounded so old when he spoke like that, like he was a banker or something.

"Ah, Seto! There you are! I thought I hear Mokuba squealing," a feminine voice exclaimed and Katsuya lifted his gaze to an attractive young woman with dusty blue eyes and light brown hair that curled around her shoulders and collarbone. The woman Katsuya suspected to be the stepmother Seto had mentioned was smiling brightly with her painted lips stretching over pearly white teeth. Once the woman came closer, Katsuya saw that she was beautiful in that artificial way the people on television were, and the blond suspected her to be older than she appeared to be.

The next thing Katsuya noticed after the woman's appearance was that she had focused her gaze on him, looking at the blond with curiosity and something skin to eagerness. Then the woman spoke in English, her words directed to Seto: _"Is this your sweetheart?"_

"Yes, Laura," Seto spoke with that same neutral and distancing tone Katsuya had heard the brunet use with their teachers. "This is Jounouchi Katsuya." The brunet's hand nestled against Katsuya's lower back and he spoke to Katsuya this time. "Katsuya, this is my stepmother, Laura."

Taking that as his cue, Katsuya immediately bowed as was polite and, after deciding that it would be considerate to use the woman's own language, spoke out in English: _"It's very nice to meet you, Raura-san."_ As soon as the last word left his mouth, Katsuya felt his cheeks redden with shame and embarrassment. The blond knew very well that such slips in pronunciation would immediately mark him as inadequate in the eyes of these people, but he had been so very nervous and he had been unable to stop it.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance as well, Katsuya-kun," Laura answered with a friendly smile, the fact that she was speaking in Japanese telling Katsuya that she probably thought he would not have understood English. His guess was proven correct when Laura almost instantly turned to Seto and spoke in English: _"Let me know when you're done with him, okay?"_

Seto did not answer the woman, which seemed to be what Laura had excepted, as the woman turned around to waltz off with nothing more than a teasing giggle. Katsuya blinked after her in confusion before turning to Seto with a questioning look, wanting to know if the woman was always so eccentric.

"Uh, sorry about that," Seto grumbled with a mix of apology and annoyance in his tone. "My stepmother is a bit…"

"Airheaded?" Katsuya suggested when Seto seemed to be unable to find a suiting word. Seto gave him a thin smile before replying: "I was going to say that she's a bit of an idiot, actually, but you said it a lot more politely."

"I think I still prefer your term," Katsuya answered after giving the matter a moment of thought. Seto lifted an eyebrow at the statement and Katsuya elaborated. "She looked at me like I was a no-limit credit card." The blond shivered at the memory. "I feel violated."

There was no verbal reply from Seto, but the brunet coughed into his fist in a manner that had Katsuya glaring at his boyfriend suspiciously as he snapped: "What?"

"Oh," the brunet released a short laugh before answering. "You had a wonderful analogue there, darling. It makes me wonder how you would have reacted to an actual attempt to hit on you."

"I would have punched her," Katsuya growled out, severely disliking the mental image of Laura making a pass on him. He gave Seto a meaningful look before finishing. "You know I'm all for equality between sexes."

"I would have loved seeing that," Seto answered, still amused over the whole thing. "Shall I call her back?" There was no telling if the brunet was joking or not from his tone alone, so Katsuya decided that he should make sure Seto understood that he would not appreciate the brunet going through with that suggestion and snapped: "If you do that, I'll punch _your_ lights out as well."

The discussion turned out to be closed with that when a distraction appeared in the form of Seto's returning little brother, whose voice hollered from behind the two teens: "I found you!" The couple turned around to Mokuba to see that the boy was this time equipped with a camera and he was pointing it at them like it held the power to make them do as he wished. "Now take a pose so that I can take the perfect picture of you two."

"You got it kid," Katsuya spoke helpfully before turning to Seto. "You heard him, let's get busy."

The slight, almost invisible blush that appeared on Seto's cheeks in reaction to his words told the blond all he needed to know about how Seto heard his comment. Rolling his eyes in exasperation at Seto's pervert tendencies Katsuya turned away from the brunet and stepped back to nestle himself against his boyfriend's body.

"Hold me," Katsuya commanded and Seto reacted instantly, almost instinctively. It was more than enough to tell Katsuya that the brunet was still feeling off-balanced, since otherwise Seto would have argued against being ordered around. Katsuya brought his own arms on top of Seto's own lying across his stomach and turned to smile at Mokuba before speaking a single word to Seto. "Smile."

"Oh, that pose is perfect!" Mokuba cheered ecstatically. "Keep that and I'll take a picture!" The next thing that followed was a flash from the camera, followed immediately by another one.

In the end Mokuba took at least a couple of dozen pictures from slightly differing angles and Katsuya had to wonder if obsessive behaviour was a family trait among the Kaibas.

Finally Mokuba let the two of them go and Katsuya allowed Seto to lead him to the second floor of the large manor. After the wide staircase Seto took Katsuya down a slim and dark corridor that Katsuya guessed would lead to the brunet's father's home office. A home office was what Katsuya naturally expected a corporate chief to have.

The dark wooden door the pair arrived at had Katsuya feeling a sense of foreboding that sent shivers down his spine. The feeling grew even worse when Seto raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

_**To be continued…**_

Author's Notes: Sorry about the evil cliff-hanger; I don't want the next chapter to become a really short one and I don't have much material for it. However, that also means the next instalment is going to be a long one.

EDIT: In Japanese, 'sensei' is used when speaking to doctors as well as teachers. I thought it sounded better in the conversation that 'doctor' would have.


	9. Warnings for Future

**Play Your Part, Seto**

**Chapter 9**

**Warnings for Future**

It was with a great effort of will that Seto resisted the urge to look behind him at Katsuya to make sure the blond was still there. He could not know for sure if Katsuya was as nervous as he was; the blond might have been feeling even jitterier for all Seto knew. The brunet was actually worried that his boyfriend might make a break for it as he moved to open the door in front of them. There was a shift from behind the brunet and for a moment Seto's worry increased, but then the movement continued with a swishing sound and Seto knew that Katsuya was merely working off his nerves through physical movement, moving his weight from one foot to the other.

The door slid open and Seto turned his head to give Katsuya an expectant look. He watched the blond first sigh and take a deep breath and then the shorter teen's lips turned into a tense smile. Knowing that was the best he could get out of the blond, Seto turned back towards the door and walked in with Katsuya's steps following right after him.

As usual, the interior of the office was shrouded in shadow with the only sources of life being the computer screen and single table lamp. Seto stepped to the side from the doorway and flipped the switch, the office immediately afterwards becoming illuminated. Occupying the space Seto had a moment before, Katsuya also walked further into the office.

The clattering of a keyboard rang in the room for a while longer, undisturbed by the change in lighting. It was a few moments later that Kaiba Renji was finished and pushed his chair back to properly lock his gaze on the two new arrivals. One thick eyebrow arched and immediately afterward the man blurted out: "For heaven's sake, Seto, you can't be serious." Both of the brown brows lowered into a frown. "He looks like an_ artist_."

"I assure you, father, that Katsuya isn't one", Seto replied testily, not pleased with the man's reaction. He was not giving Katsuya a very good first impression. Seto turned to the blond in question before speaking encouragingly: "Katsuya, this is my father, Kaiba Renji."

"U-um, n-nice to meet you", Katsuya spoke uncertainly, shooting a quick glance at Seto before giving the man a short bow. Seto turned his gaze back to his father to see the man stand up from his seat and move around the table to their side. Seto knew that the man was going to say something.

"He doesn't seem like your average gold digger", Renji commented and immediately Katsuya's body beside Seto's shifted in something that was probably shock. Seto, in turn, glared at the older man before snapping: "Could you possibly be any ruder?"

"I can say what I please while I'm inside my own house and office", Renji spoke coldly. "The one who is rude here is your little toy for coming here acting like he's a welcome part of this family. He is not a part of this family, he's here only until either you grow bored of him or he has gotten enough luxury out of you."

Seto was just about ready to explode. There was no ground on which Renji could base his claims on; the man was spouting pure nonsense. And still, that nonsense might hurt Katsuya. The blond was here because Seto had asked him to come and Seto had promised to defend him, not let him get chewed up and spat out when he did not deserve it in the slightest.

"Now you listen here-" Seto started heatedly, taking a step towards his father to give him a piece of his mind, only to be cut short by the sound of laughter. Seto turned at the sound to see that Katsuya had thrown his head back and was laughing in a manner that told Seto that his boyfriend found something absolutely hilarious. It also had a condescending tone to it.

"Is that the best you've got?" Katsuya finally managed to breathe out, after getting his laughter under control. The words were directed at Renji. "Before you continue on that note, I'll tell you one thing, pops." Katsuya looked at Seto for a moment, giving the younger brunet the briefest of smiles. "I'm here to stay and you can't chase me off with words alone." The blond then turned back to Renji and smirked in an almost malicious way. "I've been called a lot of stuff; I've heard a ton of insults that have sunk deeper, half of them actually true. You're going to have to do better than that if you're planning to break me."

That had been unexpected. With the bashful behaviour from only moments before, Seto would never have expected Katsuya to have the gall to talk back to Renji. But the blond had done just that and even as Seto found that extremely attractive, he was able to brush those bothersome feelings aside in favour of trying to analyse the situation the blond's words had led into.

Of course Seto should have seen it coming. Katsuya did not take dirt from anyone, least of all dirt that was completely untrue. Now the blond stood with crossed arms, regarding the elder Kaiba with a level look and an expectant arched brow; the blond was also waiting for the man's reaction, like Seto. Renji was mirroring Katsuya's gesture, only his arched brow was part of a thoughtful and calculating expression instead of a taunting one. Seto had expected the man to explode from rage, but Renji seemed to be almost impressed. The day had been full of unexpected surprises, so maybe Seto and Katsuya could get to walk out of the office instead of getting themselves thrown out.

When Renji finally spoke out, it was in a calm tone of voice: "You do understand that as long as you're with my son, you will be getting comments like that from many people, into your face and behind your back, right?"

"Obviously", Katsuya said with an exasperated roll of his eyes. The blond then grinned at the elder male. "But they won't be Seto's family so I can punch them in the face if they refuse to lay off."

Renji observed Katsuya in silence for a moment, before stepping back and scratching at his bearded chin in thought. In the end the man only murmured: "Jounouchi Katsuya, so different from what I had expected." The dark brown gaze of the elder Kaiba turned to Seto. "I will permit this affair, at least for now."

"As if I came here for your permission", Seto said with a scoff, grabbing onto Katsuya's arm. "I just thought I'd do my father the favour of knowing who I've chosen to spend my time with." Seto pulled his boyfriend to his side. "Bye."

"I'll be seeing you later tonight", Renji replied and Seto turned to walk Katsuya out of the office. He was not sure what his father had meant with his last sentence. It could have just been a goodbye of sorts, but it could have also meant that the matter was not closed between the two of them. Seto decided that he did not care about that as the office door closed behind him and Katsuya. They had shown the man that the two of them were capable of holding up a strong united front; surely that would make Renji think twice about trying to separate them.

"You were brilliant in there", Seto commented to Katsuya as they walked down the hall. "I don't think I've seen 'tough guy Katsuya' before."

"What can I say?" Katsuya replied with a laugh and a shrug. "That guy's just the kind of person I can't help but dislike." The blond glanced over at Seto. "But, since he's a bit like you on the side too, I think I can learn to live with him."

Seto had to wonder what it was that Katsuya meant with his words exactly. Knowing that he did not have good chances of figuring Katsuya's thought processes out, Seto ended up questioning: "Does that mean that you dislike me too?"

"Don't be silly", Katsuya laughed merrily. "I meant that Mr Grouch back there is only tolerable because he distantly reminds me of you."

"Oh", Seto mumbled and looked back ahead. "Right." The pair made it to the staircase. "I'll take you home."

"Dad will like that", Katsuya replied with a pleased hum. "It'll earn you some more movie night points. Once you have enough, you'll get to choose a movie." The blond elbowed him in the side gently. "Doesn't that sound grand?"

"Certainly", Seto spoke out and then frowned in thought. "Do I need to recollect the points once I've chosen a video?" Katsuya only laughed in response but Seto really would have wanted a concrete answer.

&

Renji had barely started working again when there was another knock at his door. A moment later the door in question was opened and Laura stepped inside the office. It had to be her; the woman was the only person in the entire house who had the audacity to walk into his sanctuary unannounced.

Lifting his gaze from the computer screen, Renji looked over the apparatus at Laura's pale blue eyes. The woman was smiling in a delighted manner and Renji immediately knew that his wife wanted to discuss Seto's lover.

"Yes, Laura?" Renji spoke, playing dumb since he knew that the woman hated it when he read her like a book. "What do you need?"

"Dear, what do you think about Seto's new sweetheart?" Laura questioned in the sort of strained voice that told Renji that she was yearning to speak her own mind on the matter. That meant that Renji would have to make his answer brief.

"You're talking about Seto's _first_ lover", Renji spoke, feeling the need to correct that part. "He's a spirited one, certainly, and not stupid either. It'll be a shame to see him go."

"What do you mean 'see him go'?" Laura asked, latching onto the part of Renji's words that was obvious to the man. This attitude was evident in his voice as he answered: "It's obvious that the boy is an outlet; a man with a stressful life such as Seto's naturally has a kink or two to release the tension. Why do you think I first started to court you instead of a Japanese woman?"

"Because a young foreigner is more open to experimenting in sex life", Laura replied easily, sliding over to sit on the edge of Renji's desk. "But you think Seto liking that boy is only a passing phase? A kink he'll grow out of?"

"I refuse to believe anything different", Renji spoke sternly, not about to change his mind on the matter. There was no way Seto was going to stick with that Jounouchi boy the same way he did with Laura, and Seto certainly did not have the sort of romance with the boy Renji had shared with his beloved Yoko. That would be unacceptable.

"It's a shame", Laura spoke with a sincere tone. "That Katsuya is such a sweet boy."

Assuming that Jounouchi reacted according to the kind of responses people gave to him, Renji supposed that there was a large possibility of the blond indeed being a sweet boy to Laura. But the man could not help but immediately remember that condescending tone and nasty smirk that spoke of such strong character that it could make stone crack. He decided that it really was a shame the blond was only a passing thing; the teen was almost likeable to even Renji himself.

&

When Seto came back home after dropping Katsuya off, the brunet immediately headed to his room, intending to get some studying done. He had just finished spreading out his materials on his desk when there was a knock at his door.

"Come in", Seto spoke while frowning at the unexpected interruption. He had barely been home for ten minutes, so the only way for someone to having come to his room so soon was that they had been waiting for his return. The person probably had one of the maids keep an eye out for him.

Turning his chair around as the door opened, Seto had clear view of the doorway. His brows rose in surprise when Renji entered the room. Well, he certainly had not expected the man to seek him out so soon after Katsuya's departure. Seto certainly hoped it was not because he was too upset about Seto's choice in partners to wait any longer.

"Father", Seto greeted stiffly, rising up from his chair. "Is there something you wish to discuss?" If it was about Katsuya, then Seto would tell the man outright that he was not changing his mind. He would not let Renji dictate his life in such a manner.

"Seto", Renji spoke back, his whole posture somehow awkward: all the more proof of the rift that had formed between father and son. "Actually, I want to give you something." Now that was very close to being the opposite of what Seto had expected. "It was supposed to be a graduation present but I thought you could use it now with your little lover."

"What did you have in mind, exactly?" Seto queried, not liking being left guessing at all.

"It's an apartment", Renji explained while he handed Seto a leaflet. Seto flipped it over to see a set of pictures taken of the kind of apartment Renji apparently had in mind. "It's closer to the university campus than the manor so I thought it would have been good for you to live on your own once you started university. But I think you have a need for it now."

That was just like his father, Seto mused. The man was so very convinced that Seto was going to get into, or even want to go to, Domino University that he felt it was fine for him to make such preparations without consulting Seto. Still, despite all that it was a nice gesture.

"Thank you, father", Seto said, his tone softening ever so slightly in a rare display of gratitude. "When will I be moving out?"

"I was thinking after new years", Renji replied. "It's close to your high school as well, so it will allow you to walk to school. The driver told me you've made it a habit to do so."

"The fresh air helps me wake up", Seto lied expertly, not about to tell his father that he had actually been convinced to partake in the activity by another person. Such a thing would have been unacceptable. The only reaction he got to his words was a nod and so Seto knew the man had bought the excuse.

"However", Renji spoke out then. "You'll be sharing the apartment with your cousin when the new term starts." The man looked at Seto in a questioning manner. "I hope that sits well with you?"

"It's fine, father", Seto assure the man. This time he spoke the truth. Ryou would not be a problem. On the contrary, his cousin has a tendency for solving problems other people had caused. Seto had to fight back a laugh, though (his new sense of humour the influence of Katsuya no doubt), as he realized that Renji was once again absolutely convinced that a member of their family would succeed in everything he tried. Ryou had told him he was aiming for Domino University only a few months earlier and Renji took it for granted that Ryou could make it. Not that Seto thought Ryou would fail. On the contrary, Seto was almost as confident in Ryou's success as his father.

"It'll be just like old times", Seto commented on the topic of sharing an apartment with his cousin. "Only this time we won't have Aunt Rumiko playing dress up with us."

"I knew I could count on you, Seto", Renji spoke then, smirking at the younger male. "You've always been well-adapting."

Sure, Seto was _very_ well-adapting, if you insisted on calling it that. Seto preferred the term 'enduring', since there was really no way to adapt to Kaiba Rumiko's excessive fascination with clothes and accessories. It was disturbing enough to make Bakura seem sane.

_Morning of December 12th_

Before that morning Yami had never wanted to turn back time so much. As soon as he woke up he had been feeling like everything he had managed to make of himself, his whole new life in Domino, was falling apart. A rueful laugh escaped from the teen as he observed his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He could not help it, not with the way all of the muscles of his face were so tense that it resulted in an almost constant twitching in his features.

It was absolutely ridiculous, Yami mused. During the previous month Yami had not been very bothered about the looming visit from Marik. He'd actually forgotten all about it by the end of November. But now, on the day Marik had promised they would meet, he was a wreck. Yami briefly thought that he would have actually liked to sit an hour in the same room with Yugi's grandfather listening to the man tell about his past escapades, if it meant that he would not have to face the day that was now beginning.

By the time Yami had gotten dressed for school the teen had not calmed down the slightest. Yami made his way out through the door, tugging his woollen scarf around his neck as he wondered where and when he would run into Marik.

Like the universe itself had decided to put Yami out of his misery, the teen was faced with the most peculiar sight by the time he was halfway down the driveway. Yami wondered why he had not noticed the form standing on the street as soon as he had exited the house; the only haircut that drew more attention than the one he was seeing was his own.

Pausing in his stride, Yami simply stood still as he stared at Marik, who grinned widely at him before raising his arm in greeting. It was not what Yami had expected at all. The other had not cornered or ambushed him, or even thrown any sharp projectiles at him. It was promising but Yami was not going to be caught off guard, so when he started to walk again, nearing the grinning Marik, his stride was slow so that he could keep an eye out for any sudden movements.

"Hiya, Yami", Marik spoke out, the grin slimming down into a still-amused smirk. "Missed me?"

"Hardly", Yami murmured back, easily falling back into the familiar conversing pattern he had been used to in Osaka. Why was it that he suddenly felt like no time had passed at all?

"I'm hurt, Yami", Marik drawled in a whine, only to chuckle immediately afterwards. "Well, almost hurt."

Had he actually missed Marik? Was it possible that he had never realized how close the tall blond had always been to being his first friend? And why was it that Marik was being so friendly with him? Had the other not been stalking him before for the purpose of getting his revenge on him?

"What's this all about?" Yami questioned with a distrusting frown. "Why are you stalking me? And what was with that vague note you sent me?"

"Ah, you're wondering if I'm a threat to you, right?" Marik queried and then continued immediately afterwards, clearly not even expecting an answer. "You never have to fear me, Yami."

Those words, Yami had heard them before. Marik had told him that, years ago, his hands and cheeks speckled with his father's blood and eyes wide and wild. It had been a solemn promise, one of the few sane things Marik had ever said to Yami after his father's death by his hand.

"Why did you come here, Marik?" Yami asked, his tone more sincerely curious now.

"I wanted to see if you were fine", Marik said but despite the caring words the tone was strangely uncaring. "Just because I allowed you to leave, that doesn't mean that there isn't anyone out there who would like to see you dismembered."

"If you were only checking up on me, why did you give me that note and come meet me just now and not before?" Yami asked, wondering just what thought process had transpired within Marik's mind to result in such a course of action.

"I didn't see any reason to contact you then", Marik explained simply. "I had only heard some talk; I didn't know anything certain about any plans against you. I figured I'd know by this time."

"Well, do you?" Yami prompted the other, who nodded his head without saying anything at first.

"The whole gang's coming to Domino this summer", Marik spoke out finally and Yami felt himself grimace at the thought. "They've been recruiting new members. Apparently the big chief's convinced that you left because you joined a rival gang and wants to take out the whole lot."

That actually sounded a lot like something Yami would have expected to come from that faction. But now Yami had no idea what he was going to be doing about it.

"Why are you telling me this?" Yami finally queried from the taller teen, who smirked at him.

"I want you to have time to prepare so that I'll see a good show", Marik replied and Yami sighed. Had he actually dared to hope that Marik would fight by his side? No matter how averse Marik was to hurting Yami with his own two hands, he had never stopped anyone else from doing so. Marik had never seen anything wrong with practising dual morals.

"I suppose I should thank you for the warning", Yami murmured in the end, which brought a new wide grin to Marik's face.

"You're welcome", the other said before pulling out a cell phone and glancing briefly at the screen. "Now I think you need to run if you're going to make it to school on time." Marik cackled with glee as he tucked the cell away and looked Yami over with a passing gaze. "We might, or we might not see each other again. Ta." And with that the other walked off in the opposite direction of the one in which Yami darted to in a dead run.

Marik had to be the single strangest person Yami knew. But at the moment the teen did not have the time needed to ponder about the matter. He was in far too big of a hurry to make it to class.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Yea, I know. That's a bit anticlimactic of me, to bring the whole thing with Marik into such a conclusion. But that's the way his character is in this story; the fact whether or not he's a villain is meant to be a bit ambiguous.

Sorry about taking so long to update. Instead of having loads of free time after summer break started I've been really busy with my summer job.

Also, I will be closing the poll about my next story after this Sunday, meaning that this week is your last chance to submit your votes. I've been positively surprised by the amount of people who have voted. Thanks, everyone.

Also, I have one word for you all: RYOU!


	10. Warm Up My Soul

**Play Your Part, Seto**

**Chapter 10**

**Warm Up My Soul**

The good thing about holding a housewarming party in early January was that it was still so cold that no one objected to spending their free evening inside. Also, it kept the more energetic guests from trying to go out onto the balcony. That was what Katsuya had told Seto in order to get the brunet to agree on holding the party in the first place after Seto's new apartment had been furnished. The invited guests included Yami, Yugi, Anzu, Honda, and Shizuka. The last one had been a last minute invitation when Shizuka had suddenly dropped by for a weekend visit at her father and brother's apartment. There was only one uninvited guest, and that was simply because that one person did not need an invitation so Katsuya had skipped him. Yup, Bakura was on the scene as well.

"I have to admit that this wasn't exactly what I had in mind when you said that your dad bought you an apartment", Yami commented from his seat on one of the deep blue couch's armrests. It was the only way he could sit beside Yugi without chasing Shizuka and Honda off of the couch. "I really expected some sort of a student apartment, but this is a condo." The star-haired youth spread out one of his arms for emphasis. "No other high school student in Japan could possibly afford this."

"If they had a rich pa who wanted them out of the house they could", Bakura's voice commented from one of the armchairs, the other left for Anzu to take with Katsuya and Seto having taken over the second couch. Well, Seto was simply sitting on the couch; Katsuya was the one who had spread his legs out on top of the cushions.

"It's pretty big for just one person", Yugi spoke out and Anzu let out a sound of agreement before saying: "That's exactly what I was thinking too!" The brunette turned her gaze to Seto. "You sure you'll be fine with just yourself here?"

"I won't be here alone", Seto answered simply, deciding that that would be a better answer than saying that he was used to living in spaces large enough to drown in. Actually, even living alone in the condo would have been an improvement to the Kaiba mansion. But, knowing Anzu's emphatic nature, it was better to stick to the less depressing truth.

"Oh?" Anzu questioned before turning to Katsuya. "You're moving in with Kaiba-kun?"

"How the heck did you get your old man to agree to it?" Honda exclaimed, leaning so far forward in his seat that Seto thought he might tip off. The girl sitting next to him did not share his excitement even though she was clearly equally astonished. Shizuka's expression was almost outraged as she shouted out: "Why didn't you tell me you were moving out?"

"Guys!" Katsuya bellowed, lifting his arms to silence the ruckus. "I'm not moving in with Seto. We wouldn't even dare mention such a thing to my dad." The blond leaned against Seto, huffing. "Seto's cousin is going to be attending Domino University and will be rooming with Seto."

"Really? What's he like?" Yugi asked. Seto leaned towards the coffee table and moved aside the couple of magazines Katsuya had brought along as light reading earlier the same day. There was a picture between two magazines, one Seto had shown to Katsuya when the topic had come up before. He handed it over the table to Yugi, who took it with an expectant smile and looked it over.

"That's Ryou. His mother is my father's sister", Seto explained curtly. He was not about to go over his entire family history with the room full of people. It was enough that he told them what they needed to know and nothing more.

"Hey, he looks familiar…" Yugi commented as he scanned the picture more closely, Yami nodding his head beside him. Honda also leaned to the side to have a peek and laughed.

"He looks just like Bakura!" the brunet added with a couple of chuckles accompanying the statement.

Bakura immediately rose up from his seat and stormed over to grab the picture to look at it critically. Anzu came up beside him a moment later to glance at the photo as well.

"Truly", Anzu breathed out, clearly amazed. "You can't deny that there is a resemblance."

The response from Bakura was a scoff before the albino huffed: "The only feature we share is our hair color. His face and eyes are completely different from mine." The male paused for a moment. "Plus, he's really skinny."

"Well, Ryou isn't a thug like you", Seto spoke out, feeling that he should defend his family member from an unjust judging. "He's always been more interested in books rather than sports." The brunet turned to Katsuya briefly. "He's into literature too."

"Cool", Katsuya said with a smile. "Maybe we can be study partners, or just chat."

"A yet another thing that separates him from me!" Bakura snapped loudly, clearly not liking being ignored. He looked back at the photo he was still holding. "…He has eyes like Jou's."

"They only have the same color", Seto commented off-handedly. He should know such things; he had grown up with Ryou and had spent a lot of time staring at Katsuya's face and eyes. He could tell the two pairs apart anywhere.

"You know, we should really do something about this party", Shizuka spoke out after staying silent for so long. "I mean, we came here for a party and so far we've only been sitting around and stuffing our faces with the treats Katsuya forced Seto-san to buy for us."

"Hey!" Katsuya exclaimed indignantly. "I didn't _force _him!"

"Ooh, but I bet you _persuaded_ him a bit, eh?" Honda jeered humorously. Katsuya glowered at the male while Seto masked the laugh that threatened to escape by standing up from his seat, the sudden lack of support sending Katsuya sprawling onto the cushions.

"I could put on some music", Seto offered while pointing out a CD-player with his right hand. The device had been the last electronic piece added into the apartment. Seto would have actually preferred not having the thing there at all; it was taking up space from his bookshelf that could have been used for books. But both Katsuya and Mokuba had insisted that Seto needed a player for who knows what reasons.

"Yeah!" Katsuya exclaimed, leaping up from the couch and rushing past Seto to the player. "Let's dance a bit!" The blond turned to grin at the rest of the room. "Any requests?"

"From Kaiba's music?" Bakura balked with a grimace. "Forget it!"

Katsuya clicked his tongue in disapproval before saying: "I brought some of my own CDs over."

"Oh!" Bakura's tone of voice immediately brightened. "Then anything is good!"

"Good", Katsuya murmured and Seto swore he could actually hear the smirk in his boyfriend's voice. The blond shuffled around some and a few moments later a soft tune started to play from the radio.

"What the hell is this shi-?" Bakura started to shout, but was cut off by Katsuya's even louder snap of: "Watch your language around my sister, bastard!" The words were followed by giggles from Shizuka, a sigh from Anzu and some low chuckles from Honda and Yami.

The sounds of laughter had barely faded away when Seto found himself grabbed by his widely smiling boyfriend, who pulled him to the open floor. Seto must have looked lost, since Katsuya started to speak: "I'm going to teach you how we dance on informal occasions." The blond paused to place both of Seto's hands onto his hips before turning to the rest of the room and calling: "Otomya, Yugi! You dance too!" A smirk came to his lips. "And you should take Honda for a spin, Shizuka!"

"Hey!" Honda snapped indignantly as Yami and Yugi stood up from the couch, both laughing and the sounds mingling together in a manner that was so perfect that it made Seto want to puke. "What do you mean take _me_ for a spin? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"No way!" Katsuya laughed merrily. "Shizuka is a Jounouchi, and we Jounouchi's are always in control of every situation." The blond placed his hands on Seto's shoulders and leaned in to speak into the juncture between Seto's chin and ear: "Don't you think so too, honey?"

It was unbelievable, but true. Seto actually felt a shiver run up his body at the feel of the other's warm breath on his sensitive skin. The whole day Katsuya had been touching him more than normal, staying unusually close to the brunet at all times. Seto knew to suspect foul play on the blond's part but he was not too worried about it; Katsuya would never harm him in any way.

"Certainly, dear", Seto murmured back, keeping his voice low simply for the reason that he knew it had an effect on Katsuya. Indeed, the blond did huddle closer to him and the two of them started to rock in place to the tune of the music. Yami and Yugi had already started moving in the same manner and Shizuka was dragging Honda to join them.

There were some good sides in dancing this way, Seto mused as he and Katsuya started to move around slightly. Surely this style was dull and boring, but it also required Seto to be much closer to Katsuya than ballroom dancing did. Their long legs slid between and beside the other's with ease and Seto could feel Katsuya's body heat from where their chests met.

It was a very peculiar combination, the mix of soft tunes with the closeness of Katsuya's body. It was peculiar because of the effect it had on Seto; it always made the brunet feel romantic. He slid his arms further forward, grasping his hands together behind Katsuya's back and creating an embrace. The change in their position brought Katsuya's head to Seto's shoulder, close enough for Seto to whisper into the other's ear so that they would not be overheard over the music.

"You're no passing phase, Katsuya", Seto murmured softly, sounding almost seductive without meaning to. "I'm never letting you go."

"Good", Katsuya breathed out gently. "I'll hold on to you just as tight." The blond's arms wrapped around the back of Seto's neck for emphasis and that was what clued Seto to the fact that there was something special here, shared between him and the blond he was sharing an embrace with. That was why the brunet felt so disappointed when the song came to an end and a faster beat began to play as replacement. He let go of Katsuya and moved over to sit on the couch, saying that he had danced enough to get him through the next few months. Of course, Seto could have been persuaded to think otherwise, but that would have been only by another slow song with Katsuya as his partner.

The songs Katsuya played after that were mostly faster ones so that everyone could take part in the dancing. It gave Seto the chance to simply sit back and relax, even though that proved to be difficult with the party going on in the room. But, Seto did not really think there was much for him to do there; Katsuya was handling the role of graceful host much better than Seto could ever hope to.

Soon enough the party slowed down as evening approached and before Seto had as much as a chance to get snappy, Katsuya was already herding the horde out. The blond was very polite about it, though, and everyone agreed that it was time to call it a day.

After the door had been closed after the last of the guests, Katsuya walked back into the living room. The blond stopped in the doorway, staring at Seto with an unreadable gaze. It worried the brunet slightly.

"What is it?" Seto asked from the shorter teen, causing the blond to blink like he had been in a daze. Finally, Katsuya spoke out: "I have a gift for you." The blond turned around. "I'll go get it." With that the blond vanished and Seto was left waiting on the couch, wondering what was the cause for Katsuya's odd behaviour.

The blond was back soon, along with a reasonably small wrapped package. It was the size of a chocolate box and Seto wondered what it might contain. Katsuya walked over to Seto's seat and handed the package over. Seto accepted it with a thank you.

"I'll be right back", Katsuya said then, further bewildering Seto. "You open your present." And then the boy turned around to make his way to the room Seto had given for the blond to use that night. It had been planned to be used as the guest room of the apartment, but Seto knew its most usual occupant was going to be Katsuya. It was on the first floor of the condo, along with Seto's room. The upper floor held mostly empty rooms, one of them left empty on purpose so that Ryou could furnish it to his liking upon his arrival.

Seto turned his attention to the package and tore the wrapping paper off, revealing a black cardboard box. It had been taped shut and it proved to be a small struggle to get all the tape off so that Seto could fold the box open. There was some tissue paper wrapped around the items and Seto moved them aside to view the largest item, a bottle.

Lifting the plastic bottle out of the box, Seto turned it over in his hand to look over the tag. What the brunet found written there sent him into such a state of shock that the rest of the box slipped from his grasp, falling to the floor and sending a set of foils spreading across the surface.

"Seto?" a voice queried from behind the brunet and Seto turned his head to stare at Katsuya in shock.

"You bought me lubricant?" Seto questioned incredulously, lifting the item in question. "Why?"

"So that you can use it on me", Katsuya answered deadpan. The blond leaned over the back to the couch and pointed to the floor. "I bought condoms too."

"Damn it, Katsuya", Seto groaned, standing up from his seat to regard Katsuya on a more even ground. The blond straightened himself as well. "What's the deal with doing this without asking what I thought?"

"That's easy", Katsuya said with a smile, clearly convinced that he was in the right. "You'd never be honest with me over this because you're so afraid of forcing me into something I'm not ready for." The blond pointed at the bottle Seto was still holding in his grasp. "_That_ is merely to show you how serious I am about this. I've thought it over and I've decided that this is what I want." The brown eyes looked straight into Seto's blue ones, their gaze even and serious. "I want you to make love to me."

The last four words sent Seto into a blushing frenzy he had not known himself to be capable of. To think it was Katsuya to first ask for this, to call the activity by name. It was not that Seto had not thought about it, he had thought about it a lot; he had fantasized about it. It was that Seto had not expected Katsuya to think about it.

"What do you say, Seto?" Katsuya asked, tilting his head in an alluring way. "Will you sleep with me tonight?"

That was when Seto saw what Katsuya was wearing. He still had his t-shirt on, but he had taken off his pants. And as it that was not bad enough, he had pulled on a tantalisingly short skirt instead. The skirt looked suspiciously alike to the bottom half of Domino High School's girls' uniform. It was almost as if the blond _knew_ that Seto loved the other's long and strong legs and was using them to seduce the brunet.

"Why…are you wearing that?" Seto questioned from the blond, lowering his gaze to the floor. He could not trust himself to control himself if he looked at Katsuya any longer.

"Well, I'm so freaking gorgeous that I figured I had the right to flaunt it around a bit", Katsuya replied cheerfully. "I thought you felt the same way with how you're always staring at my thighs whenever I'm wearing a bit tighter pants.

Apparently he had been found out then, Seto mused as he looked to the right. He tried to focus on one of the paintings there even though he did not think of them as anything great: just something to fill the empty space on the walls.

"Seto", Katsuya's voice gained a sudden serious tone as he spoke the brunet's name. "I'm serious about this. Look at me and see for yourself." There was something about that tone of voice that caught Seto's attention, and so the brunet obeyed.

A sigh came from the blond when their eyes met, and Katsuya gave a small yet smug smile as he spoke: "You want me. It's there in your eyes."

"Katsuya", Seto spoke out but trailed off when he noticed that his hands were shaking. Why…

There were suddenly hands holding onto Seto's own and the brunet lifted his eyes to meet Katsuya's once more.

"We both want this Seto. Why not make it happen?" Katsuya asked gently, and Seto thought he heard a quiver in the blond's voice. It was encouraging to Seto to know that Katsuya also acknowledged what a huge step this would be for them. And it also hinted to Seto that he was not the only one who was slightly troubled by this.

"Alright then", Seto agreed and reached down to pick up the box he had previously dropped. When the brunet straightened himself Katsuya had joined him by his side. "Will you be keeping the dress on?" Seto would later on deny any hopeful traces his voice might have held.

"No way", was Katsuya's immediate response. "This skirt isn't mine. It's Anzu's."

"Why are you wearing Anzu's skirt?" Seto questioned while the two made their way to Seto's room. The easy conversation would serve as a good distraction for Katsuya for now. Seto's mind, however, was concentrating on what was to come even as he listened to the blond's response.

"I couldn't exactly go into a store to buy a skirt, now could I?" Katsuya spoke in sarcastic amusement. "This was the one skirt Anzu had that would fit over my waist, since I lack some of the more apparent female shapes." The blond stopped walking when the two came to the door. "Um…"

Seto reached out his hand and opened the door before saying: "I know, I know. Go on in and we can…get undressed." Damn. Why did this all feel so very awkward? Previously everything they had done had been so natural.

The brunet did not look at his boyfriend as he entered the room after the other and started tapping the wall beside the light switch. Deciding that he should leave the lights off, it was not that dark, Seto slid the door closed and moved over to the bed, where Katsuya was sitting. The blond had taken off his socks but not anything else and he was fidgeting with the pair so much that Seto was sure he was going to snap some of the threads.

"It's okay", Seto muttered as he placed the items he was carrying beside the pillows. He then sat down on the mattress beside Katsuya and wrapped his arms around the blond's waist. That was when Katsuya stiffened and Seto's hands immediately flew off of the blond. "Katsuya?" The blond had never stiffened at his touch.

"Turn a lamp on", Katsuya muttered in response. "I nee-, ah, I _want_ to see you."

It was not hard for Seto to understand what was wrong and the brunet flicked the bedside lamp on. Of course Katsuya would not be able to handle this if he did not have a constant reminder of it being Seto with him and not anyone else.

Turning back to the blond, Seto caught sight of Katsuya just as the teen was pulling his shirt over his head. Seto reached over and helped the blond with the article of clothing. He started to fold it on his lap, only to be interrupted from the task by Katsuya's hands that had pressed to his chest.

"You know I won't be wearing that shirt tomorrow", Katsuya muttered as he started unbuttoning Seto's shirt. "Just toss it somewhere. This place just got cleaned up so even the floor is fine."

Seto contemplated Katsuya's words for a moment. Even though Seto had never as much as considered throwing his clothes onto the floor, there was an appeal to Katsuya's words.

After shrugging himself out of his opened shirt Seto quickly got rid of his pants and socks as well. He hesitated a moment in his boxers before shooting another glance at Katsuya, only to see the same hesitation on the blond's face that he was feeling.

"Why is this so awkward?" Katsuya murmured, looking up into Seto's eyes. The brunet released a thoughtful hum before moving closer to the blond.

"Maybe because it's the first time either of us has ever done anything like this", Seto said and knew it to be fact even as he spoke it like a suggestion.

"So you've never-?" Katsuya started and Seto answered: "How many students in our school do you think actually have had sex?"

"Oh, good point", Katsuya said with a nod and Seto decided that they had talked enough. The brunet leaned in the short distance to kiss Katsuya's lips softly.

"Lie down, dear", Seto murmured gently and smiled at the silent huff that came from Katsuya in response. But, the blond did lean back onto the pillows and Seto reached out his hand to caress the other's neck. Katsuya's deep brown eyes were watching him intently, like the blond was trying to catch every little thing Seto did. The brunet turned his gaze away to concentrate on removing Katsuya's underwear even as the blond kept shifting nervously, obviously wanting to do it himself. After the article of clothing was completely out of the way Seto leaned in to plant a determined kiss on one of the blond's thighs, eliciting a startled yelp from his partner.

"Calm down", Seto murmured against the soft skin. "You know I wouldn't harm you. Stop worrying."

"That's not it", Katsuya grumbled and Seto turned his eyes to look at the other's flushed face. "I'm not worried, I trust you." The blond tried to draw his knees together but Seto's position rendered the effort useless and Katsuya continued: "I just don't know how to react when you touch me like that."

"It's alright", Seto spoke in a reassuring manner before straightening himself to remove his own underwear. "I can explore later, when you're more used to being intimate with me." Truth be told, the only reason Seto was so calm at the moment was probably because he was currently calling the shots. He would probably be feeling uncertain too in Katsuya's position.

Seto directed his attention back to Katsuya, running his hands down the other's thighs and marvelling at the combination of the creamy soft skin and the hard muscles hidden underneath. He felt Katsuya's gaze burn at his skin as the blond took in his form and he caressed the soft spots right above the other's thighs with his thumbs. This had the desired effect as Katsuya released a startled sound and shifted again. Seto repeated the gesture, marvelling at the way the blond shivered and started to grow aroused.

"I know what color skirt I'm getting you now", Seto murmured and smirked as he watched Katsuya's eyes immediately snap open at the words. Seto leaned his body over Katsuya's to be eye to eye with the blond as he finished: "A golden orange one, to match your golden skin."

Katsuya opened his mouth, to most likely protest, but Seto cut the blond off by covering the other's mouth with his own, plunging his tongue in to run down Katsuya's own. The blond hummed in approval at the gesture and copied the movements and Seto could taste something sweet from the snacks the other had been eating earlier that evening. He pulled back to catch his breath, his lips occasionally brushing against Katsuya's moist ones, before leaning back in for another deep kiss. He then moved his hand to cup Katsuya's half-formed erection, enveloping the member into a soft cocoon that had Katsuya moaning in pleasure. The brunet kneaded the arousal with his palm and Katsuya broke away from the kiss to release a deep, throaty moan.

"Seto", was the only word that came from Katsuya's mouth, but it was spoken with such heat and desire that it got the message across quite clearly. I need you. I want you. I want this. Seto took his hand away from Katsuya's arousal and lowered his body to push their hips together. He drew in a sharp breath at the sensation of immense heat he got from the contact and grinded their arousals together more forcefully. Two moans mingled together and a moment later a wet kiss was pressed to the skin underneath Seto's chin, accompanied by a suckle that immediately told Seto that his partner had lost his uncertainty from before.

"Stop playing around, Seto", Katsuya spoke against Seto's neck between pants. "I won't last much longer if you keep this up." The blond looked up at Seto with eyes that were misted over with lust and Seto could only nod his head in agreement.

It was with a great effort of will that Seto managed to draw back from Katsuya's warm body to grab the bottle of lubricant from the side. Seto would have been very happy to simply grind against Katsuya until they both reached their climax, but the brunet assured himself that that could be done some other time as he covered his fingers in the substance.

Knowing that Katsuya would hit him if he wasted time to ask permission, Seto went ahead and probed Katsuya's entrance with his index finger. The first touch had Katsuya tensing up from what was revealed to be surprise when then blond relaxed immediately afterwards, allowing Seto to push the tip of his finger inside.

Seto proceeded slowly, pushing only slightly inside before retreating some of the way and then pushing in further. With each push Seto's finger sank in a bit deeper as Katsuya's tight cavern loosened. Seto continued the ministrations for a while longer after his entire finger had gone inside. After he was satisfied with the degree Katsuya's muscles had loosened he pulled out. He pushed two fingers in next while Katsuya lifted his hips a bit to make Seto's job easier.

The muscles gave away a lot more easily that time around, accommodating Seto's pushes more easily when the stretching was not completely new. Seto shot a quick glance at Katsuya's face and saw that his partner was fine; Katsuya's expression was lax, almost relaxed, and the blond's whole face was flushed from arousal. As if feeling Seto's gaze on him, Katsuya lifted his gaze and met Seto's look with his half-lidded eyes. A lazy smile pulled at the blond's lips and Seto sank his fingers all the way into Katsuya, scissoring them and pushing against the wet walls insistently. Seto felt his mouth turn dry as Katsuya bit his bottom lip at the feeling a moment before the brunet's finger pressed against something that did not seem to belong with the smooth walls. A new smirk came to Seto's lips and he saw confusion on Katsuya's face before he started caressing that spot, focusing all his attention to pressing and kneading on that spot.

Katsuya's eyes fell shut and the blond head fell back as the teen's lips opened to let out a long moan filled with pleading desire. Seto licked his lips at the sight and lowered his gaze as he pulled his two fingers out only to replace them with three immediately afterwards.

Again Seto had to proceed slowly as he worked his fingers into the blond. One of Katsuya's hands was visible within Seto's line of sight and the brunet saw it close into a tight fist around the bed sheets. Katsuya's laboured breathing rang in Seto's ears and he thought he felt his own breaths quicken as he pushed at the walls that were slowly but surely giving in to him.

A sudden hoarse half-shout from Katsuya had Seto's head snapping up so that he could look at the blond's face for signs of pain. The tightly closed eyes told Seto nothing but the sharp thrust of hips into his fingers certainly did.

"Not just yet, Katsuya", Seto spoke, for a moment not recognizing his own turned-husky voice. He pulled his fingers out of Katsuya and reached to the side for one of the packs Katsuya had purchased. A hand closed around his own and Seto looked up at Katsuya. The blond brought their hands to his face and Seto held on tight as Katsuya's sharp teeth closed around the package, tearing it open. During the entire gesture Katsuya's eyes peered at Seto's own through the damp bangs hanging in front of the blond's face and Seto felt his already almost unbearable erection burn at the sight of the blond.

A sharp gasp broke from Seto when he felt Katsuya's hands around his member. The brunet had been too distracted to notice the blond take the condom from him and his partner was now in the process of rolling the rubber over his straining arousal.

"There", Katsuya half-whispered, half-gasped. "It's on." The blond shifted back onto the pillows, pulling Seto along with him and keeping their bodies close. "Now, Seto, I want you in me." There was a strange awareness in Katsuya's eyes as he said that, a desire that had nothing to do with lust. "Fix me. Only you can."

"I think you're already fixed, Katsuya", Seto as he moved the tip of his member to Katsuya's entrance, starting to push in even as he spoke: "But, who am I to deny a request like that?" His words were immediately followed by his partner releasing a drawn-out moan as Seto's entrance to his channel pulled at his already-stretched walls.

Seto pushed in slowly but without pause and he was soon buried completely inside Katsuya. He took a moment to take in the sensation of Katsuya's tight cavern squeezing around him and came to the conclusion that the heat from their groins pressed together was nothing compared to the feeling of heat that Katsuya's walls were giving off.

"You feel good, Katsuya", Seto spoke out with admiration to his partner and watched Katsuya's eyes open slowly. A short laugh came from the blond, followed by the other responding: "So do you." The brown gems vanished from Seto's sight once more as Katsuya closed his eyes to sink into his own sensations. Seto took that as a sign to proceed and pulled back to push back inside. An approving hum came from Katsuya and Seto repeated the action, pulling out almost completely before submerging in Katsuya's heat again.

Katsuya's legs lifted up to wrap around Seto's waist, cutting Seto's movements short. Seto quickly adapted to this change, noticing that the new angle allowed him to keep inside Katsuya more easily. So he kept his thrusts short and quick and Katsuya responded to his movements, meeting Seto with each thrust.

"There! Right there!" Katsuya's voice rose to say and Seto knew that this new angle was providing constant friction to Katsuya's prostate. Spurred on by his partner's desire Seto slammed in harder, spurring short and strangled shouts from Katsuya, who clearly appreciated the new eagerness.

Seto's own huffs turned into groans as he slammed into Katsuya repeatedly with enough force to have his partner's body rocking back and forth as the blond grasped onto Seto's arms to keep himself from being thrown back.

"More, Sseto, more", Katsuya panted repeatedly, slurring Seto's name in his desire. Seto released a hiss own his own in agreement and wrapped his arms around Katsuya's waist to pull the blond onto his thighs while he knocked the pillows behind the blond away with his arm. The action turned violent when Seto felt his body almost quake in pleasure when Katsuya grinded his hips into Seto's own from the new angle, the folds of the blond's muscle tissue pushing and caressing at Seto's member.

The brunet released a delirious curse as he moved his body forward in something akin to a leap, slamming Katsuya against the wall behind the blond as he pushed against the other's body, his lust-filled mind absolutely certain that if he pushed hard enough he could sink even deeper into Katsuya until there was nothing left but the desire brought on by the heat and tightness.

Keeping Katsuya pressed up against the wall, Seto pulled back and thrust back inside. Gravity caused Katsuya to fall back against Seto with force that not even their combined efforts could reach and Seto slammed into the blond repeatedly and in fast succession, unable to have enough of the feeling of moving inside the tight cavern.

While Seto pounded into Katsuya with bruising force, the brunet's mouth was spouting words the young man himself could not grasp. A mixture of curses and praises for his partner reached Seto's ears, along with a mutilated version of the other's name that was always spoken in a repeating mantra. Not that Katsuya was making much more sense, calling out 'more' and 'yes' in between gasps of Seto's name.

Feeling his climax nearing Seto quickened his pace while making sure to keep his thrusts just as powerful. Nothing seemed to be enough as Seto thrust into the heat of his lover over and over again, but it seemed that it was enough after all as Seto felt his release and let out a sound that might have been a scream or a silent whisper. He rode out his orgasm, pounding into Katsuya insistently until he felt hot wetness splatter against his stomach. After that Seto allowed their joined bodies to fall onto the mattress in a heap.

A silence followed, during which both teens tried to catch their breath. Finally a voice broke the illusion, as Katsuya said: "That was…" only to trail off before he could finish.

"Amazing?" Seto offered, because that was how it had felt to him. "Incredible?"

"Not quite", Katsuya replied, taking a few more deep breaths. "Try 'beyond anything I've ever experienced before' and we're on the same page."

Seto chuckled at that, knowing very well that he agreed wholeheartedly but saying nothing of the sort, and lifted himself up on his hands. He made to pull out of Katsuya, only to pause halfway and push back inside just to see Katsuya's eyes flutter shut and hear the blond groan. Satisfied with that Seto pulled out of the blond and removed the condom from his slack member, tying the item into a knot before throwing in into the trash bin placed next to the wall nearby.

"Shower?" Seto asked from Katsuya, turning to his lover with a questioning look. The blond released an exhausted sigh before murmuring in response: "Maybe in a short while, when I think my legs will carry me." Katsuya smiled up at Seto before opening his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Cuddle with me in the meanwhile?"

A fond smile came to Seto's face and the brunet moved over to lie half on top of the blond and half beside the other. He moved his arms to wrap around Katsuya's waist while Katsuya's own arm rose to curl around Seto's back. Then the blond proceeded to tuck his head into the curve between Seto's neck and shoulder. A shower really sounded droll in comparison to this, but Seto knew they would need to get it out of the way before they fell asleep. But it could wait for the time being. For now Seto would bask in the afterglow with his lover's body moulded so perfectly against his own.

&

Seto woke up slowly the following morning. In fact, the brunet felt such a sudden wave of laziness that he would have stayed in bed had it not been for the smell of coffee that had taken over the room. After recollecting the events of the previous night, Seto turned his head to the side. The spot beside him on the bed was empty.

While briefly contemplating a morning shower, Seto kicked the covers off and rose from the bed to stand on the floor that felt cool underneath his bare feet. The brunet came to the conclusion that he could shower after coffee just as well, maybe even with company, and tugged at his pyjama bottoms, the only thing he was wearing. The brunet wandered out of the room on his journey to the kitchen and hopefully Katsuya.

When Seto made it into the kitchen, his eyes immediately fell on his lover. The blond was wearing one of Seto's dress shirts and was nurturing a large cup of hot chocolate. Seto knew it had to be hot chocolate, since Katsuya was not particularly fond of coffee. However, the brunet could still smell coffee and noticed that there was a pot brewing in the maker, obviously meant for him.

"Morning, honey", Katsuya's sing-along voice spoke and Seto's eyes snapped back to the blond, who had turned to face him.

Seto felt his breath catch. Sunlight was streaming into the kitchen from the window behind Katsuya, and it illuminated the dark blonde locks into a golden halo. And that beautiful smile on Katsuya's face was heartbreaking to watch and yet Seto could not tear his eyes away.

"Morning", Seto answered as well as he could with a suddenly dry mouth. The brunet felt his cheeks redden as he questioned: "Permission to speak freely?"

A bright laugh escaped from Katsuya then, the bubbly quality reminding Seto of a giggle. Only, Katsuya did not have the kind of voice required for giggling, nor would he look kindly to Seto describing his laugh as such. But, it was still the closest comparison.

"Permission granted", Katsuya spoke with laughter evident in his voice. At that moment Seto did not care if Katsuya would indeed punch his face in for his next words. He spoke out completely sincerely: "You're beautiful."

Katsuya did not get angry. On the contrary, the blond blushed a cherry red and reached up to fondle his shimmering golden locks in a self-conscious manner. Suddenly the fiery blond looked almost shy and Seto, encouraged by the fact that his boyfriend did not look threatening, slowly made his way over to the shorter teen. Then he reached out to wrap his arms around the blond's waist.

Again, Katsuya did not react negatively. The blond allowed Seto to hold him, only mumbling a short: "Wait." He stretched his arm to the side and placed his cocoa mug on the counter with a soft clatter. Then the blond's arms came up against Seto's arms and shoulders.

"I could get used to this", Seto murmured as he buried his face into the soft blond mane, the scent of chocolate drifting to his nose.

"To what?" Katsuya queried as he pulled back enough to look Seto in the eye. "Morning hugs?"

"Yes", Seto replied and his thumbs caressed Katsuya's sides. "Among other things."

"Such as?" the blond prompted and Seto answered: "Having you greet me in the kitchen with coffee ready. I would be a very happy man indeed if my every morning was like this."

"I think I'd like that too", Katsuya murmured and snuggled close to Seto again. Seto, on the other hand, was more content to slide his hands down the blond's back to grasp the firm globes hidden underneath the shirt.

It was Seto who ended up exclaiming at that point, whereas Katsuya merely 'meeped' in a precious manner. Seto's eyes looked down over Katsuya's shoulder as the brunet lifted the hem of the shirt up to reveal a pair of boxer briefs underneath.

"Seto?" Katsuya murmured in question, but Seto stepped back and cut him off with a snapped: "This is an outrage! Why on earth are you wearing underwear?"

"_Because_", Katsuya spoke with an annoyed growl, "I'm only slightly shorter than you, which means that your shirt wouldn't really cover my privates." With that the blond turned his back to Seto to retrieve his cocoa mug. Seto, in the meantime, glared at the blond's covered behind, as if the force of his gaze could remove the obstacle that had foiled him.

"I'm buying a bigger shirt", Seto declared sternly and Katsuya laughed, his good mood restored with that. He took a sip of his drink before speaking out: "You should take some coffee before it gets cold."

"Right", Seto said before walking over to the coffee machine and pouring himself a large cupful of the concoction. He took a deep gulp of the liquid and swallowed it without hesitation after noting that it was not too mild or strong. The rest of the cupful vanished quickly.

"Mm", the brunet hummed before placing the cup onto the countertop with a sigh. "I needed that." He proceeded to pour himself some more coffee, settling this time for half a cup.

"You drink your coffee black?" Katsuya questioned and Seto lifted an eyebrow at that before answering: "In the mornings, yes. I need it to be plain to wake up properly. At other times of the day I put in a bit of sugar." The brunet looked at Katsuya thoughtfully. "Why are you asking?"

Again, Katsuya's cheeks gained a red colour as the blond hurriedly explained: "I want to get to know you. All the little everyday things."

"I'll be more than happy to teach you", Seto answered and the two drank their drinks in silence for a while. All that time Katsuya stared at Seto over his cup, his eyes wide and intense. Seto was almost too distracted by their beauty to pay attention to the unreadable gaze. There was just something about the atmosphere that made Katsuya look so much more amazing than he normally did. Usually Seto could keep himself from staring too much but at that time in that kitchen, he was captivated.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Seto questioned from the blond, the playful nickname spilling from his lips with ease and a bit of actual sincerity. Behind his mug Katsuya blushed for the third time and quickly looked at the floor.

"Katsuya?" Seto queried and stepped closer to his boyfriend, his coffee cup left forgotten on the counter behind him. Katsuya's brown gaze came to meet his own blue one again and the blond lowered his mug to reveal the lower part of his face. Katsuya was biting at his bottom lip as he turned to the side and placed his mug on the table. The blond then lifted his free hand to touch Seto's cheek in a feather light caress, the brown eyes coming to meet Seto's own with more confidence this time. The two stood in silence as they regarded each other.

"I love you", Katsuya spoke softly and, for the briefest of moments, Seto's heart forgot how to beat. Then he started to move, his heartbeat picking up into a wild beat.

A yell echoed in the silent kitchen, followed immediately by a muffled groan. Seto's leap at the blond had been swift and the brunet had crossed the short distance between them too quickly for Katsuya to react before the brunet's arms were already around his body. The sudden embrace had roused a shout from Katsuya, one which Seto had muffled by capturing the others lips in a soul-searing kiss. While the two continued to kiss each other passionately Seto's hands sunk deep into Katsuya's hair and the blond's hands grabbed the front of the brunet's shirt.

It seemed that Seto could not get close enough to the blond. He shoved his tongue into the other's mouth without a warning and Katsuya released the quietest of moans that Seto only felt in the vibrations against his own flesh. The brunet then pulled away, keeping his hands sunken into the soft locks, and looked into Katsuya's half-lidded eyes. They were both panting heavily and Seto quickly licked away the wetness on the blond's lips.

"S-Seto?" Katsuya uttered weakly, questioningly. Seto smiled softly and leaned his forehead against the blond's own before speaking in a low, tender voice: "I love you too, Katsuya. I love you too."

Again, Katsuya laughed, but this time it was not from humour. The short giggle that broke off at the end was one of unadulterated happiness and Seto felt the feeling resonate in him, resulting in an almost goofy grin on his lips.

Seto decided that they needed something special to mark this. But they had already made love, so they needed something else. When Katsuya's lips met his own again, Seto realized that he needed a ring.

_**The End**_

Ending Notes: Just try to guess the part of this chapter I'm most satisfied with. No, it's not the lemon. The lemon is actually a bit experimental, so I'd appreciate any feedback. I didn't want to have to raise the story's rating because of the scene so I tried to write the lemon without any of the usual profanities. But, I think that might have reduced the 'sexiness' of the scene. Still, this is how I wanted to write it. I'm a bit rusty and a badly written lemon without profanities is less awful than a badly written lemon _with_ profanities.

Also, sorry about the delay in posting. When you look at the length of this thing, I'm sure you understand. This thing is over seven thousand words long, that makes it almost three times as long as my usual chapter-length. The reason for this was that I wanted to combine the last two chapters, because otherwise chapter ten would have been VERY boring, and I didn't want to give you guys two boring chapters in a row.

The first chapter of Play Your Part, Yami should also be up in my profile by now. It's a it short, but introductions tend to be like that.


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